


Something About Timing - Something About Fate

by Mylari



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-02
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 02:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 27,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1727753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mylari/pseuds/Mylari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Keith's birthday and he spends the day risking his life to pick flowers for Allura. This is my take on why he did it and what happened next...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Decision

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wondered about Keith spending his birthday on the side of a cliff picking flowers for Allura. This is my explanation for why he would do that. Story title comes from a song lyric from Bryan Adam's "I Ain't Losing The Fight" from his album 11.
> 
> Disclaimer: WEP owns everything except the voices in my head and the handful of characters that I made up in order to flesh out the story. WEP has the best toys and I sometimes can't help but play with them, but I always return them when I am done.

A low growl escapes Keith's throat giving voice to the level of anger and frustration he's currently feeling. Violently raking a hand through his unruly black hair, he flings his gym equipment forcefully into a bin nearby. Lance's antics bothered him today, but he is even more upset with himself because he'd let the teasing get under his skin yet again. If Lance had beaten him honestly during their sparring match, without relying on diversionary tactics to defeat him, it wouldn't be such a big deal to him. But the loss came as a result of his own distraction and uncertainty, so it doesn't sit well with the normally confident captain of the Voltron Force. The fact that it was the third time this month that his lithe, wisecracking second in command was able to divert his attention with jibes, made it even harder to bear. Lance's flippant comments about Keith's growing feelings for the princess hit a little too close to home for the comfort of the commander. The cocky Red Lion pilot has been reading him entirely too well lately; triggering the realization that he no longer hides his emotions quite as well as he thinks. The battle being waged between his heart and mind is escalating and Keith senses that his breaking point is drawing near. "Something's gotta give soon. Either I'm gonna hafta find a way to let go of my feelings for Allura or I'm gonna hafta act on them. If I keep going like this… I'm… I'm… I'm just gonna snap…" Keith mutters under his breath as he stalks out of the training room shaking his head.

Walking back to his quarters, Keith winces as he takes inventory of all the new bruises Lance has managed to give him today. He should never have allowed the other man to land so many hits. No question about it, he is becoming distracted entirely too easily and Lance is definitely taking advantage of it. Frustration evident in his stance, he viciously punches in his door's access code before stomping into his quarters. Peeling off his sweat soaked workout gear, he leaves a trail of discarded clothing behind him as he pads to the bathroom. After adjusting the shower spray to the hottest, strongest setting that he thinks his body can withstand, he steps into the steaming cascade. Standing under the streaming water, he silently watches as it sluices down his muscular form in rivulets that trace the planes of his chest, stomach, and legs before finally escaping through the drain in the shower floor. As he feels his body begin to relax under the hot water, he wishes that his mind was as easily pacified. Running a hand through his wet hair, a desperate moan escapes him. Keith places his forearms against the shower wall. Curling his hands into fists, he rests his head on the tile between them, and closes his eyes. He lets the water continue to pound soothingly on the knots in his shoulders and back, massaging away the stiffness. In an effort to distract himself from his discordant thoughts, he takes the time to concentrate on each muscle within his body. By first clenching and then slowly releasing the tension in each one, he is able to get his body to relax fully. He enjoys the sensation, and contrasts it with the swirling feelings tormenting his mind. He's emotionally torn and can't bring himself to make the decision that he knows must be made. Fear paralyses his mind and he hesitates again, wondering which choice will prove to be the better one. Split second decisions in the heat of battle with lives at stake have never proven as difficult as the choice lying before him now.

Could he try to convince himself that this is just a silly crush and turn his attentions elsewhere? He considers it, but just can't persuade himself to believe that. Besides, he can't imagine not feeling this way for the beautiful princess. Maybe he should act on his longings; tell her how he feels. But what if she laughs or tells him that she doesn't return his feelings? He'd be devastated. Looking up to the ceiling, he sighs deeply before letting his forehead come to rest against the tile again.

Turning off the water, he allows himself one last minute to stand with his head resting against the shower wall before finally straightening up and reaching for a towel. Once dry, he exits the bathroom and dresses quickly before sitting down at his desk. He pulls out a few sheets of paper covered in haphazardly scrawled notes. After reading them over, he takes a deep breath and stands. He has made his decision. The time for thinking is over, now it's time for action. Mustering his best 'commander face' as would Lance call it, he squares his shoulders, raises his head and walks to the door.

He has a plan, but knows that he doesn't have much time to follow through on it. Tomorrow is his birthday and the princess is planning a small party for him even though he has told her that he neither wants nor needs one. When she kept insisting, he had given in, simply because he knew it would make her happy. Leaving his quarters, he strides swiftly and purposefully to the library hoping to be able to complete his research before his scheduled patrol shift. Unbeknownst to him, a small creature follows him as he embarks on his clandestine errand.

Entering the archive, he heads decisively to his target. Pulling a few books from the dusty shelves, he sits at a nearby desk and begins paging through them. His preoccupation is evident when a blue mouse is able to get close enough to catch a glimpse at what he is reading without being noticed. Chitter seems happily surprised by the captain's research and jumps around excitedly, his smile nearly uncontainable. A couple of hours later, Keith carefully closes and replaces the books before leaving the room. A small sheet of scrap paper covered in hasty scribbles is crushed within his fist. The mouse sneaks back out of the library shortly after, an excited expression on his face.

During his patrol later that afternoon, the Black Lion seems to have a secondary objective. Frequently referring back and forth between the monitors and the note in his hand, Keith is obviously searching for something. Traveling in a carefully orchestrated pattern over the countryside, his dark eyes are attentive to every detail of the landscape around him. Hours later, he finally discovers what he seeks. Grinning broadly, he makes a note of the coordinates before turning and heading back to the castle.

The next morning, he awakens at first light, intending to leave before anyone else in the palace rouses. He gulps down a quick breakfast then strides swiftly to the stables, eager to be off on his covert errand. "I haven't been this nervous and excited about my birthday since I was a little boy," he whispers to himself, shaking his head and grinning. Saddling his favorite horse, Keith rides out from the castle without a single word to anyone…


	2. Keith's Birthday Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter comes from the Season 2 episode "To Soothe the Savage Robeast". If you've seen the episode there won't be too many surprises here...

Early that afternoon, Princess Allura helps Nanny with the preparations for Keith's birthday party. The large dining room is decorated with flowers, balloons, and streamers; the table set in anticipation of the feast that will occur later. There is a small table sitting in the corner with a few gifts placed upon it. The princess is looking forward to getting everyone together for the celebration. Even though she knows that Keith doesn't really like having a fuss made over his birthday, she can't help it. He does so much for everyone else, he deserves to be catered to and pampered every once in a while. He's going to enjoy this party even if she has to force him to. The princess does the same for each member of the team when their birthdays come around. While the captain tends to resist her efforts more than the others, he always gives in to her… eventually. Smiling, she anticipates getting him to relax and enjoy himself.

Before long, a visitor is ushered in to see her. The pretty young woman has reddish brown hair arranged in a large bun, much like the one that often adorns the princess's own head. She has arrived in order to deliver a present for Keith's birthday. "My name is Teryn, Your Highness. I live just past the forest surrounding the palace, on the outskirts of Helene. I was asked to drop this off for Keith's birthday as a favor to someone." Allura, ever the gracious hostess, invites her to take a seat at the side table and offers her a drink. As they sip their tea, the two women discuss the gift sitting between them.

"You see Princess; this jar is filled with honey nectar."

Allura examines the container curiously before answering hesitantly. "How nice."

"Well as I said before, it isn't really mine." She fidgets, finding the lack of enthusiasm that the princess displays disconcerting. Teryn wants nothing more than to distance herself from the uneasiness the gift seems to be producing in the young monarch.

"Yes, but who's is it then?" Allura can't help but feel unsure about accepting the anonymous gift without more information. Normally a trusting person, something about the circumstances bothers her, but she can't put her finger on just what it is that worries her or why.

"I can't tell you." The woman shifts in her seat again and glances towards the door, a look of unease on her face.

"But you say it's a gift sent here for Keith, by a mysterious woman as a token of her affection?" If there is a woman nearby who has Keith's attention, why hasn't he ever mentioned her and why couldn't she bring the present herself? A soft sigh slips past Allura's pursed lips, her frustration with the woman before her growing evident.

"Yes, it's from someone who loves Keith. She has a real crush on him."

"Hmmm…"

After Teryn leaves, the remaining party preparations are quickly completed. With some time left before the festivities, the princess strolls out to the balcony in order to appreciate the beautiful weather. As she admires the sunshine and meadows lying spread out before her, her mind can't help but wander back to the gift sitting on the table in the room behind her. "Why do I have this funny feeling about that jar of honey nectar?" She leans forward resting her arms on the ledge in front of her, too lost in her own thoughts to see the view before her any longer. "I should be happy that someone cares about Keith. After all, he's just a friend. But why am I so upset? Is it jealousy?" The notion catches her off guard. Of course she cares for all the boys, they're like the brothers she never had. But could her feelings for Keith be different from what she feels for the others? Suddenly realizing the truth, she wonders when and how that could have happened. The depth of her feelings evolved so gradually that she hadn't even noticed until now that her heart tends to beat just a little bit faster when he is nearby. Sighing, she shakes her head to stop this train of thought and pushes back from the low wall. "Well it's almost time for his birthday party. I better call him." She raises her voice and calls out for him from the balcony, "Kee-eith…" There is no sign of him anywhere and no answer to her summons. "Where could he be?"

***

A lone brown horse stands quietly grazing beneath a leafy green tree. A rope tethers it to the sturdy trunk keeping it safely away from the edge of the nearby cliff. Secured to another tree is a second rope, this one dangling over the ledge. A well-muscled figure, dressed almost entirely in red, clasps the cord as he carefully scales the sheer rock face. Setting a white booted foot upon a small lip, the man is surprised when it crumbles under his weight and he finds himself suddenly at the mercy of gravity. Quick reflexes, honed through years of combat training, allow his hands to tighten on the rope, stopping his rapid decent before it's too late. Once he is stationary again, Keith takes a few moments to slow his heartbeat and bring his breathing back under control. The near brush with death now behind him, Keith is once again calm and collected. Running a strong hand through his mop of thick black hair, he turns his dark gaze back upon the cliff in an attempt to regain his bearings. Finally spying the prize he seeks, he smiles and sets out again. Fifteen tense minutes later, the object of his quest is within his grasp. Reaching out with one hand while clutching the rope firmly in the other; he manages to pluck a few of the blue-white flowers from the niche in which they grow. Bringing the blooms to his nose, he inhales deeply, a broad smile lighting up his visage. Raising his face, he begins the slow, steady trek back up the side of the cliff…

***

The members of the Voltron Force sit around a large table waiting for their captain to arrive. Since each person is preoccupied with their own thoughts, the festive looking room remains remarkably quiet. Their ever punctual team commander is nowhere to be found and concern is steadily growing over his continued, unexplained absence.

The golden haired princess of Arus sits silently at the head of the table, staring intently at the jar of honey nectar resting before Keith's place setting. Her mind racing, she thinks, "So there's a woman somewhere who's in love with Keith. I wonder who she is." She is so engrossed in her own musings that she doesn't notice the conversation taking place amongst the men at the table.

Pidge looks at his friends while wondering aloud, "What's keepin' Keith? He should have been here an hour ago. It's not like him to be late like this."

Lance, however, isn't paying much attention to the small pilot. His eyes are fixed on the young woman at the head of the table. "You notice how the princess is mooning over there? She hasn't said a single word." He taps his fingers on his crossed arms restlessly, his hazel eyes upon her as she lets out a soft moan and stares at the empty chair.

"The only thing I noticed is that there's food on the table and I wanna eat some. Keith or no Keith!" Hunk longingly eyes the various serving bowls arranged on the table before letting out a desperate sigh.

Pidge frowns as he looks around the room impatiently before his gaze finally lands on the jar of nectar. "I know. At least we can have some of that honey drink he got."

"Alright." Without hesitation, Nanny picks up the bottle and begins to pour out servings of the beverage into the glasses arranged on the table. Her manner indicates wordlessly her disgust for the lack of consideration Keith is showing by being so late for his party. After all, she worked hard to prepare everything, so if he can't even be bothered to get here on time, well… then, he deserves to have his gift doled out before he arrives. "There you are," she croons after filling Pidge's goblet with the nectar.

"Looks good!" He starts to raise the glass to his lips only to have Lance interrupt him before he can take a sip.

"Hold on Pidge. That drink is a present for Keith. I really think we oughta wait for him… At least for a little while…"

***

Passing a small, simple house as he heads back to the castle, Keith halts his steed and dismounts when he sees a bee keeping structure next to the home. "Hello? Anybody there? Hello? I was just passing by and ah…" His thought trails off, his voice dropping to barely more than a whisper, "That door's ajar…" Forgetting his original reason for stopping, he switches to his most commanding tone before calling out again. "Who's in there?"

The door opens further and Keith is shocked to see Lotor standing in the doorway before him. "Well…" intones the Doomian prince as he slowly approaches the startled Voltron captain.

"Lotor! What're you doin' here on Arus?"

"I came to give you a bit of friendly advice. Go back to the castle at once or Queen Merla will destroy you all."

Keith's eyes narrow as he glares at his adversary. "Why would *you* warn *me*?" Suspicion is clearly evident in his tone.

"I don't care about *you* in the least. But I *do* care about Allura. She's about to be poisoned. I'd warn her myself, but she wouldn't believe me. We may not like each other, but neither of us wants to see the princess hurt, do we?" His concern is evident as his words practically trip over themselves is his haste to get them out.

Knowing how the evil prince feels about Allura, Keith takes Lotor's warning to heart. He wouldn't risk her life, even if it means having to warn the rest of the Voltron Force as well. "Right!" Jumping onto his stallion, Keith urges it back to the castle as quickly as possible. He doesn't hear the prince's parting words as he races away.

"Go quickly and tell her it was me that warned you!"

***

As he approaches the plains before the castle, Keith is just in time to see a small squadron of Doombots attacking a carriage driven by a young couple. "Ultradroids! C'mon boy!" He turns his mount and urges it towards the action. The captain doesn't know what precipitated the attack, nor does he really care. If troops from Doom are on Arus, he will do whatever it takes to get rid of them. Wielding a blaster in each hand, Keith drives the robots off with a few well-placed shots, but not before the man has been thrown from the carriage. Bringing his horse to a standstill, he alights in order to drape the man across the saddle before remounting and chasing the out of control chariot. "So much for those droids. Now, back to the castle." Racing off in pursuit, he has one more rescue to accomplish… 


	3. Flowers for Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of my interpretation of the meaning behind the flowers Keith gives Allura.

"We can at least toast him. Here's to Keith! Wherever he is, I hope he's havin' a happy birthday and I hope there's still some food left for him by the time he gets here." Hunk raises his glass in the air.

Inspired by the burly man's words, Coran stands and raises his goblet in tribute next. "I have a toast. I too wish to honor Commander Keith, a fine young leader. He is special to all of us, don't you agree Princess?"

"Yes, there's no one quite like him is there? I can't believe he's missing his own birthday party! If anything ever happened to him, I don't know what I'd do…" Her voice trails off as she finishes the thought, her eyes glistening and unfocused.

Lance turns to look at her, concern clearly evident on his face. "Boy, you're *really* worried about him aren't you?" He can see the tears that are beginning to form in her eyes.

"Well, he's always so punctual. This isn't like him. He never goes off without telling anyone where he'll be and since when does he ever leave his communicator behind?" Her voice grows shaky as her mounting anxiety sets in. Breaking off, she wrings her hands and sighs, seeking reassurance in his face...

The Red Lion pilot frowns as he listens to her, his unease rising. "Can I talk to you privately for a minute, Princess?"

At her nod, he stands and leads her out to the balcony extending off the dining room. "OK Princess, just *what* exactly is it that has you so worried? You know Keith's perfectly capable of taking care of himself out there. He may not have taken his communicator, but he did take his weapons. So what's bothering you?" Lance refuses to admit aloud that he too is concerned about Keith not taking his transmitter or telling anyone that he was leaving…

"Nothing, Lance, it's nothing…"

"I don't believe you. C'mon, this is your ol' buddy Lance you're talkin' to." He attempts to catch her eye but she refuses to meet his gaze. "So what is it? Is this about that admirer sending him a birthday gift?"

Allura flushes bright pink at his words. Lance sighs and then pulls her into a gentle hug. "Hey, it's ok, Princess," quietly whispering his words into her hair. "I can tell you that whoever sent it doesn't have his attention. He hasn't so much as mentioned anyone and trust me, I'd know if someone caught his eye." He tightens his hold on her momentarily before releasing her in order to search her face. A sudden urge to hurt his commanding officer flits through his mind as he studies the pain evident in her expression.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! I'll tell ya what. If he's not back in half an hour, I'll take Red and go look for him, OK?" He reaches under her chin and tilts her head up, forcing her to look into his eyes before giving her a lopsided grin.

She gives him a wry half smile in return. "Thanks Lance…"

Returning to the dining room, they resume their places at the table.

"He'll be back, Princess. Maybe he fell asleep in a meadow somewhere and just lost track of the time…"

"I sure hope so, Pidge." She sighs quietly giving him a half-hearted smile.

"It *is* his birthday and he rarely takes a day off… But I really wish he'd get back already so we can start eating. Nanny made all his favorites, and some of them are *my* favorites too!" Hunk sighs and stares at the food wistfully.

Allura raises her glass. "To Keith!"

Hunk follows suit, "Bottoms up!"

Before anyone can bring their glasses all the way to their lips for a sip of the rich beverage, the space mice play around making faces at each other through the pink liquid of the one drink that remains untouched. Their wild antics result in Keith's goblet of nectar falling over, splattering its contents onto the vase of flowers adorning the table. Allura turns to scold her rodent friends, but stops in shock when she sees what happens to the centerpiece. "They spilled the drink on those flowers…" S0he gasps as the blooms wither before her eyes, petals drifting to rest on the table. Hunk throws his drink into the fireplace angrily. They are shocked to see the flames change color menacingly as the vile liquid burns.

"Hey! Somebody tried to poison us!" Before anyone else can react, a commotion is heard from the entranceway to the castle. The room empties as they race out to investigate, thoughts of the toxic nectar forgotten momentarily.

Arriving outside, they look around, finding a horse dragging part of a carriage up to the castle. Hunk grabs the reigns, gently bringing the animal to a halt. "Who's is this?"

Lance surveys the wreckage before asking. "Where'd the people go?"

"Over here…" He turns at the whispered words and finds a woman lying half hidden behind a boulder.

He squats down before her. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

"We came to warn you…"

"What?"

"Don't drink the honey drink. It's poisoned."

Before he can ask who she is or how she knows about the nectar, he hears another horse rapidly approaching.

"Keith!" Relief floods through the princess's voice as she catches sight of the newcomer.

Keith rides up and dismounts swiftly, leaving the others to tend the injured man lying sprawled across the front of his steed. Running to Allura, his face radiates apprehension and he blurts out desperately, "The honey drink. You didn't drink it did ya?"

"No, Keith. Where were you?" she asks without bothering to make any attempt at masking her concern.

He walks up to her hesitantly, and she can see the fragile blooms clutched tightly in his fist. Her eyes widen as she recognizes the flowers he holds out to her. "Picking these." Before she can react, he puts the blossoms into her hands, closing her fingers around the slender stalks, a hint of pink rising on his cheeks.

"Oh…" she looks from the flowers in her hand to the hopeful, yet shy expression on his face. She tries to read his features, tries to figure out if he knows the significance of these particular blooms, but he looks away before she can decide for sure.

"They're pretty, like you, Allura." His throat closes before he can utter anything else and his heart threatens to beat right out of his ribcage. He can feel the fiery heat that radiates uncontrollably from his ears and face.

"And pretty swell, like you, Keith… But, it's *your* birthday. Why did you bring *me* a gift? Shouldn't we be giving you presents?" She feels a warm flush start to rise from her chest. It reaches all the way to her cheeks and she finds it hard to look him in the eye.

Keith runs a hand through his hair before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He swallows almost convulsively a few times before he can manage to get any words out. "Well... Seein' you smile is my present…" The pink dusting his cheeks deepens a shade or two in the span of a heartbeat.

"But Keith, why *this* specific type of flower? You do know what they represent, don't you?" She finds it hard to believe that he could have chosen these merely through accident or chance.

Keith manages to look at her, his face reflecting wide-eyed innocence. "No, what do they mean?" There is a hint of repressed mischief sparkling in his eyes that belies his words and expression.

"This *is* my world, you know. Did you think I wouldn't recognize the significance of these flowers and what the gesture represents when a boy presents them to a girl? Or the risk involved in obtaining them?" Her voice softens as she speaks.

"I just thought they were pretty…" His voice grows throaty and hoarse, trailing off as he averts his gaze.

Allura narrows her eyes and purses her lips, studying him intently for a minute before speaking again. "Did you know that Chitter told me about all the time you have been spending in the library recently? Still wanna stick to your story?" She raises an eyebrow at him in challenge.

Embarrassed that he never knew he was being spied on by a mouse, Keith reaches around and rubs the back of his neck again. A deep blush suffuses his face until his cheeks are nearly the same color as his shirt. "Ummm…" is all that is he able to stammer out.

"It's OK, Keith. I'm glad you chose these…" Her voice grows quiet and husky as her cheeks slowly redden to match his. She glances at him shyly through her eyelashes, her pulse racing out of control.

"So, how about letting the rest of us in on the big secret?" Lance's voice shocks them out of their personal reverie.

Keith and Allura both jump, turning even brighter red as the revelation that they have been having this conversation in front of an audience shatters their illusion of privacy. The princess speaks, her azure eyes never breaking their connection with Keith's onyx gaze. "Well, according to Arusian tradition, when a man thinks that he would be considered unworthy of pursuing a woman in whom he's interested, generally because of a difference in rank or status, he proves himself by bringing her a gift of these precise flowers. Since they only grow on the face of a single cliff that cannot be easily accessed, he proves his devotion by undertaking the task of picking them at the risk of his life, then presenting them to her. Thus he makes clear that he values her happiness more than even his own life." Keith is obviously growing more and more uncomfortable as she delivers her explanation. She can practically feel the rising heat of his blush. He desperately wants to look away as she finishes, but determinedly continues to return her gaze even as his breathing quickens.

Lance's eyes travel from the princess to his commander and back again before he slowly lets out a long, low whistle.

Pidge sighs, a huge smile rounding out his dreamy expression, as he clasps his hands together before his chest. "That's so romantic."

"No wonder you were so late for your own party. Sorry I threatened to eat all the food, Chief."

Keith reluctantly tears his gaze away from the blue eyes that he's been lost in so that he can glower at the other members of his team. "Don't you three have somewhere to be?" he demands gruffly. There are daggers in his eyes as he turns to face them.

"Yeah, *your* birthday party," Lance quips. His eyes are dancing and he is only partially successful at holding back a chuckle. "Which seems to have moved out here…"

"Then how about we move it back inside? Now!" The deep growl in his voice promises intense pain and suffering for disobedience.

Barely able to hide their mirth, the three pilots begin making their way back into the castle.


	4. Keith!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the meaning behind the flowers is revealed and things take a turn...

Looking around, Keith and Allura confirm that the medical staff has already taken the injured couple to the hospital wing for attention before turning back to face one another. Once confident that they really are alone this time, Allura closes the distance between them and throws her arms around Keith, squeezing as tightly as she can. He gasps as the breath is forced from his lungs, "Prin… cess… can't… breathe…"

Giggling, she loosens her hold a little, eyes sparkling as she looks up at him. "You know there are plenty of places to find pretty flowers that are closer and more accessible to the castle than these. I *know* you had to have chosen to pick these intentionally, not to mention the added significance of giving them to me on your birthday... This *is* what you were researching, isn't it?"

Taking a step back, Keith ducks his head and mumbles something inaudible to the pebble that he is kicking gently with the toe of his boot.

She raises one delicate eyebrow and smirks at him. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that…" After the worry he had caused her earlier, she's not quite ready to let him off the hook so easily.

He sighs heavily, raises his head, and looks her in the eye. His voice grows rough and serious. "You're right. I knew exactly what I was doing… Even down to the timing…" He scuffs his boot in the dirt, once again breaking his eye contact with her.

"Good! I was hoping that Chitter wasn't mistaken. I was just worried that you weren't planning to give them to *me*, especially when Teryn arrived with a gift for you from some secret admirer… I…" Her voice breaks and she swallows before continuing in a whisper, "I was terrified that you were late for your party because you were off getting engaged to someone else…" He looks up as her voice trails off and is just in time to see a smile light up her whole face as she looks from the flowers to his face, before impulsively capturing his mouth in a kiss. Recovering from his shock at the boldness of her actions, he slowly wraps his arms around her, drawing her closer, deepening the kiss, willing her to know what's in his heart through his lips and hands.

"So should I take that as your acceptance?" he whispers when they finally break apart, silly grins plastered on their faces. She nods silently in response and rests her head against his shoulder as she brings the flowers up to her nose. They just stand there for a minute enjoying the moment alone together before slowly turning back to the castle and the party waiting for them inside.

However before they can reach the entryway, the unmistakable sound of weapons' fire pierces the still air. Keith and Allura break in to a run, meeting the others at Castle Control. Coran is already pulling up information about the location and intensity of the attack as they skid to a halt joining the rest of the team.

"It appears to be a small force, merely three battleships. There are no signs of any coffin ships or robeasts according to our scans."

Setting the flowers down on the console, the princess turns to her captain. "Keith… since I've been practicing in Black Lion, think I can take him out this time? If I really want to be proficient in him, I'm going to have to fly in a real combat situation sooner or later…" Allura looks at Keith and bats her eyes at him.

Keith sighs and looks at her with a raised eyebrow as he considers her request. "Alright, but I'm still callin' the shots. Don't try to be a hero out there just because you're in Black, OK?"

She sets her face into a serious expression and turns to him snapping off a quick, sharp salute. "Anything you say Captain!" She turns and races off into the tunnel leading to Black Lion before he can change his mind.

The other three pilots are all staring at him open mouthed, too stunned to move. "Well what are you three waiting for?" he bellows. "You gonna let her have all the fun?"

"No way, Chief!"

"On our way, Skipper!"

"Wait for me!"

He can only shake his head as they run past him to their elevators. Keith follows them muttering under his breath, "My birthday and she gets all the presents…" But the smile on his face and his low chuckle soften the edge to his words.

Once the lions are in the air, they engage the battle cruisers. Unbeknownst to the team, there is already a coffin ship resting on the surface of the planet. Before they can disable the first ship, an order is given and the robeast is unleashed.

"Wow, Keith, the forces of Doom didn't spare any expense on your birthday gifts this year. A poisoned drink, three battleships, *and* a robeast. And to think, I didn't even get a card from them on my last birthday…" a smirk graces the Red Lion pilot's face.

"Well, I guess Lotor just likes me better than you, Lance. OK Hunk, Pidge, you take out the rest of the battle cruisers. Princess, you and Lance come with me to take on big ugly. We'll show him how we feel about party crashers!"

Enthusiastic replies issue from the other four pilots accompanied by roars from their lions. As the Green and Yellow Lions concentrate on the Doom ships, the others race off to intercept the robeast. Reaching the monster, they prepare to engage.

"Sorry Lotor, but I need to return your present. It's just not my color! Ion knives!" Keith commands. Each lion generates a sharp blade clamped within their powerful jaws. Closing the distance, they get their first good look at the monster. It stands on two legs and resembles a large green dragon. The beast has four arms that each sport sharp talons, a narrow tooth filled maw, a whip like tail, and large powerful wings. "Lance, clip his wings. Princess, try to knock his legs out from under him. I'll distract him."

They approach the robeast and engage. As Keith flies past in Blue Lion, trying to get the monster's attention, it manages to swat him out of the air with a powerful swing of one arm. "Keith! Are you alright?"

Shaking his head and quickly righting his lion, Keith rejoins the fight. "I'm fine Princess. He's stronger than he looks, so be careful!"

"Proton missiles!" Keith fires a volley at the belly of the beast. He, Lance, and Allura continue to fire weapon after weapon at the creature.

"Ion darts!"

"Eye beams!"

"Lion torch!"

"Rip claws!"

"Wing attack!"

"Hey guys, can we play too?" As Pidge speaks, laser fire erupts from the Green Lion's tail.

"Yeah, Keith, we don't wanna miss out on the party games!" Hunk adds some missiles of his own to the barrage.

"Alright! Time to form Voltron! Princess, you ready?"

"You got it, Keith!"

As the lions maneuver in an effort to get into formation, the robeast reaches out one more time, managing to catch the Blue Lion. Holding it between two powerful fists, the monster begins twisting it violently. Hearing his scream, the others realize that Keith is no longer in position and turn around, horrified to see sparks flying from the center of the Blue Lion as metal begins to rend from the powerful forces being exerted upon it.

"Guys, I've got an imminent total systems failure here. The whole control panel is sparkin'. I can't do anything stop it. I'm gonna to have to eject. Princess, you're in charge for the rest of this fight. I know ya can do it!" His words are choked out through gritted teeth. As soon as he cuts the connection, he flips a switch and is thrown clear of the badly damaged lion ship.

"Alright boys, we're gonna have to do this the hard way. Lance, you and Pidge cut him off at the knees. Hunk, cover me – I'm going to give him a manicure!"

As the battle rages on, Keith, still in the ejected pilot's seat, loses consciousness when he impacts violently with the ground. Lotor, from his command ship in orbit around Arus, sees a figure eject from the Blue Lion and assumes that it's Princess Allura. Racing to his personal cruiser, he flies down to the spot where the seat landed, hoping to capture the young monarch. When he arrives, the prince is surprised to see the Voltron captain lying motionless before him instead. "Well, well, well, what have we here? You're no princess! But, who am I to pass up a perfectly good captive?" He tosses Keith's limp form callously into the back of his ship and heads into orbit just in time to witness the violent explosion as the four remaining lions manage to destroy yet another of his robeasts.

Once they are sure that there are no further threats in the area, the team converges around the fallen Blue Lion. "Pidge, Hunk, tow Blue in for repairs. Lance, help me find Keith."

Using their scanners, the Red and Black Lions begin flying in a search pattern looking for any sign of their leader. An hour later, they still haven't found any trace of him. "He has to be here somewhere. He couldn't have just disappeared… Lance, did you find anything at all?"

"Nothing, Princess. It's like the planet just swallowed him up. I don't understand it."

As the sun sets, they reluctantly call a halt to the search, knowing that they will not be able to find him in the growing darkness. Returning to the castle, a somber group gathers for their debriefing. "Lance and I searched every inch of the battlefield and the surrounding area. Nothing… Where could he be?" Tears stream down the princess's face. Her blue eyes are rimmed in red. Lance just stares blankly at the table in front of him, uncharacteristically quiet. The wisecracking pilot cannot seem to find the words to speak.

"Blue's gonna need a lot of work. Hunk and I will get started right away. Most of the connecting circuits have been shorted out if not severed completely. There's also a lot of cosmetic work that will be needed. I estimate that it's gonna take about two weeks before she's back in the air again." Pidge's voice is filled with quiet desperation as he runs down the needed repairs.

"Well, let's call it a night then. I want everyone up at first light to start searching for Keith again. He has to be out there. We have to find him!" Allura's voice breaks and the tears continue to fall unchecked from her eyes.

The four Voltron pilots make their way to their rooms, but no one expects to find sleep easily tonight…


	5. Lost but Not Found

After arriving on Planet Doom with Keith, Lotor callously lobs the captain's unconscious body into a holding cell. "You should be just the bait I need to finally make Allura see reason and consent to be my bride," he comments to the crumpled form lying helplessly on the floor. Smiling wickedly, he rubs his hands together as he heads down the dim hallway.

Later, the prince returns to Keith's cell with the witch Haggar in tow. He looks through the bars set high into the door of the chamber. His captive is awake and pacing the small room like a caged animal. "Ah, you're awake. I trust the accommodations are to your liking." He greets his prisoner, chuckling softly.

"Who are you and why am I in here?"

Raising his eyebrow, Lotor turns to Haggar for a quiet conversation. "Could he have lost his memory in the battle? This could prove even better than I initially hoped. Witch, can you ensure that he will not regain his memories? Do you possess strong enough magic to provide him with a new past?"

"Sire, I believe I know just the spell. Who do we want him to believe that he is?"

A wicked smile crosses Lotor's face as he raises his deep voice and answers his captive's query. "Why, you are one of my most dedicated soldiers," he purrs. "You have been given your own cell as a reward for your exceptional service to the empire. Tomorrow you are scheduled to begin an elite training program so that you may have the opportunity to control a robeast and finally defeat Voltron! For now, rest. You've earned it."

An evil leer lights up Lotor's face as he and the witch make their way to her lab in order to prepare the spell. "This day is looking very promising indeed!"

Keith continues pacing in his cell, listening as the sound of echoing footsteps fades into the distance. His head is throbbing and he can't remember anything that happened before he woke up in this room. A soldier? Could he really be a soldier? Looking down at his lean, muscular body, the idea doesn't seem so unbelievable, but why can't he remember anything? Coming to a halt, he slides down to the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest as he does so. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he lowers his head. Closing his eyes, he tries desperately to remember any scrap of who he had been before…

***

"Ohhh, my head…" The throbbing sensation is intense and is accompanied by a dull ache. There is darkness everywhere and the air is damp and musty. Feelings of fear and confusion are overpowering. A blinding flash of white light erases everything, leaving nothing behind but a feeling of emptiness…

Allura sits bolt upright in her bed, dripping with sweat, her heart pounding in her chest. The feeling of panic won't subside. The nightmare leaves her feeling terrified and disconcerted. "Keith, where are you? Why couldn't we find you? Are you alright?" Curling into the fetal position, she cries herself back to sleep.

***

Lance stares up at his bedroom ceiling. Turning, he glances at the clock on his bedside table. Realizing that he's been tossing and turning sleeplessly for hours, he throws off his blankets and makes his way to the nearby observation lounge. Sitting in a chair facing the windows, he looks to the night sky for comfort, but finds none. "Keith, where are ya, buddy? Did you somehow get caught in the explosion when we destroyed the monster? I wish we could find a clue, something to tell us what happened." He sighs heavily and rests his head against the back of the seat, no longer attempting to stop the tears that are welling up in his eyes.

Hearing the door open behind him, he hastily sits upright and runs the back of his hand across his eyes trying to wipe away the wetness from his face. He sniffs once and then turns to see who has intruded on his private moment of grief.

"Lance, I didn't think anyone would be in here this late at night. I guess you couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"Hey, Pidge. I couldn't stop trying to figure out why we can't find Keith. I just don't get it. Why couldn't we find any sign of anything?" He rests his elbows on his knees, bending forward so that he can grasp the back of his head in his hands.

Pidge moves further into the room and takes a seat near his friend. "I know what you mean. There should have been *something*. I really hope he's OK, wherever he is…" He removes his glasses and wipes at the tears forming in his eyes. "Do you think something could have happened to him during the battle and that he… he…" Unable to complete his question, Pidge's voice trails off.

"I dunno," Lance whispers as he shakes his head. Standing abruptly he begins pacing in front of the windows, frustrated at the lack of answers. As the door opens once again, he freezes in place. Two heads turn in unison to identify the figure in the doorway. "Hey, Hunk. You here to join our little party?"

"I guess no one is getting much sleep tonight, huh?" The big man walks across the room slowly.

"Yeah, what I don't understand is how come we can't even get a fix on his transmitter. I can't get any sort of signal at all." Pidge looks up in despair, no longer bothering to hide his tears.

"Could it have been broken when he ejected? Or shorted out when Blue was damaged?" Lance looks to his two teammates questioningly.

"I guess it's possible if there was enough energy arcing inside Blue's cockpit, but then there's a good chance that Keith woulda been electrocuted before he could eject. Maybe if he landed and hit the communicator on a rock, it might have broken, but what are the odds of that? It's pretty unlikely that something happened to the device, unless…" Hunk stops speaking when he comes to a disturbing conclusion.

"Yeah, that's what we're both worried about too… If he didn't land far enough from where we destroyed the robeast, he could have gotten caught up in the explosion…" Lance's voice breaks as he struggles to get the words out around the lump that has formed in his throat.

"And if he was… There'd be nothing left for us *to* find, no signal to pick up, nothing…" Pidge turns in the chair and bracing his forearms on the armrest, lowers his head sobbing.

The other two men look towards him in sympathy, tears streaming down their cheeks as well.

***

The next day, the team sets out in search of their missing leader once more, but their luck is no better than it had been the prior afternoon. One day turns into two, three, a week, but still there is no sign of Keith anywhere. "Princess, it's been over a week, Blue Lion will be fixed soon. We're going to have to bring someone in to fly her. We should contact Sven on Pollux and see if he's available."

"Lance, I'm not willing to give up on finding Keith."

"No one's askin' ya to. But we need five pilots if we wanna have Voltron. Keith would be the first one to tell ya that we need to call Sven."

Allura sighs in resignation, looking at Lance with tears in her eyes. "Fine, but will you call him please?" She knows that she can't bear to face the thought that their missing comrade might not make it back and that calling in Sven is the first step in officially declaring Keith missing in action.

"Sure, Princess."


	6. Taking a Turn for the Worse

Haggar casts her spell, ensuring that Keith's amnesia will continue. She erects walls within his mind, blocking access to his identity and past. The witch tells him that his life has been spent serving Zarkon and Lotor. Believing that he has been a Doom soldier ever since he was big enough to fit in a uniform, Keith dedicates himself to serving the forces of darkness. He throws himself into his training and volunteers to take part in the arena competitions in an effort to work his way up the ranks. It becomes his hope to someday lead a force to Arus and bring back the princess that Lotor desires so much.

***

"…and we still haven't been able to find any trace of Keith…" Lance finishes catching his former teammate up on recent events. "So how soon do you think you can get out here, Sven?"

"I will be on my way first thing in the morning, Lance. See you then. I'm sure Keith will turn up soon!" The lilting voice of the former Blue Lion pilot drifts across the room as Sven's image fades.

The connection severed, Lance turns around to face the other inhabitants of the chamber. They all show signs of stress and sleepless nights. He takes in the dark circles under their eyes, the paleness of their skin, the hollowness of their cheeks, knowing that he looks no better. He sighs loudly. "Well that's that. I just wish there was something to give us a clue about what happened to Keith…"

"Sven's right, he'll show up. He's resourceful… They didn't make him Captain for nothin' ya know." Pidge's voice cracks as he speaks, undermining the effectiveness of his words. "He just *has* to make it back… He *has* to be OK." They all refuse to give voice to any other possibility.

They all look at the princess sitting slumped against the console, tears falling silently down her face.

"I certainly hope so, Pidge. For her sake more than anyone's," Lance whispers as he inclines his head towards the despairing woman.

***

Sven arrives on Arus and is greeted by Lance the moment he disembarks. "Hi Lance, good to see you, my friend. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Yeah, me too, Sven. Listen, I wanted to talk to you before you see the princess. There is something that I didn't mention during our call. I didn't want her to hear this, at least not yet. The first night after Keith disappeared, Pidge, Hunk, and I couldn't sleep and we all ended up in the lounge. We got to talking and were trying to figure out what could have happened. And well, we came up with a possible scenario, but we haven't told Allura because it would just completely devastate her. She's pretty close to losing it as it is and we don't want to push her over the edge. We're already short one pilot and I can't image being down two, or what it would do to Arus to have the princess completely break down. She's already pretty withdrawn right now; the only thing that she focuses on anymore is finding Keith.

Anyway, so that night, Pidge realized that we weren't getting a signal from Keith's communicator. At first we thought that maybe all the electricity arcing through Blue might have shorted it, but then we realized that if that much energy was sparking in the cockpit, it would have electrocuted him before he could eject. So, that really left us with only two reasons why we wouldn't be able to get a signal. One possible option, and this is the one we are really hoping for, is that the communicator was damaged when he landed, which is possible, though unlikely. The other option, which we have made a pact to keep from the princess, is that he landed too close to the robeast and was caught in the explosion that resulted when we destroyed it."

"Oh, man, Lance, that's bad. No wonder you didn't mention that when you called. Has there been any sign of him at all?"

"Nothing, that's why we're really starting to worry that our worst case scenario may have come to pass. And to make it worse, he'd finally let her know how he felt about her."

"What? Keith actually told her? How do you know?"

"Well apparently there is an Arusian tradition that allows for a guy to court a woman above his station if he goes and picks some specific flowers from the side of a cliff somewhere. Turns out he found out about it and spent his birthday picking flowers for her. He had just given them to Allura when the attack came. We all ran back into Castle Control and then she convinced him to let her fly Black."

"Wait, what? She got him to give her Black? In a battle situation…"

"Yeah, we were all shocked too. Though at the time we didn't know about the robeast, it was just a few cruisers. I doubt he would have agreed otherwise. So I'm sure you can imagine her state of mind right now. The guilt over him flying in her lion and thinking that she did something wrong resulting in the accident is bad enough. Then when you add to it the fact that he's just taken the first step towards advancing their relationship…"

"Damn…"

"Yeah…"

***

Keith spends the next couple of months fighting in the arena each day, defeating opponent after opponent, much to Lotor's delight. The prince is pleased to see that Keith's fighting skills hadn't been lost with his memories. Sitting in the royal box, Lotor watches as the commander faces off against three robotic soldiers. After he makes quick work of them, a monster is released into the stadium. Without missing a step, Keith swiftly conquers that creature as well. Breathing heavily, he slowly turns, searching the field for any additional opponents. Not seeing any, he looks up toward Lotor and catches the prince's motion summoning him to the royal box.

He is escorted into the stands by an imperial guard and finds himself standing before the prince. Kneeling, he lowers his head until he is acknowledged. Once ordered to rise, he faces his ruler, waiting to be addressed.

"Your training is progressing well, soldier. At this rate, you will be ready to fly a robeast into battle very soon. I have faith that you will be the one who is finally able to defeat Voltron and bring victory to the Doom Empire!"

"Thank you, sire. I only hope that I can live up to your expectations." Keith bows low before his master.

"Report to Haggar in the morning. It is time for her to begin training you on how to control the robeast. There is nothing more for you to accomplish in the arena."

"As you command, Your Highness. I live to serve the Empire." Keith salutes smartly, beaming with pride.

Lotor's lips curve into a wicked smile as everything continues according to his plan. At this rate, the princess will be his very soon indeed!


	7. Enter the Prince

As the weeks stretch into months, the hope of finding Keith begins to fade. The paperwork is submitted to officially list Keith as missing in action. The princess fights against taking that step, but finally relents when Galaxy Garrison demands to know why Keith is no longer the one submitting reports. Allura takes over flying the Black Lion and with it, leadership of the team, while Sven resumes his place in the Blue Lion. A new routine begins to form as they all get used to daily life without Keith. However, the princess refuses to accept that his loss is permanent and continues her search for him on a regular basis. After three months, she feels the pressure on her to give up and acknowledge the fact that he isn't coming back.

Grudgingly, she concedes that they may be right, but she still refuses to complete the paperwork from Galaxy Garrison that would officially request a replacement pilot. She won't let anyone convince her to discontinue her daily searches for Keith. When Lance finally sits her down and presents the possibility that Keith may have perished in the explosion at the end of the battle, she breaks down sobbing. Fighting the tears that form in his own eyes, he reaches over and rubs her back soothingly.

"I know it's not what you wanted to hear, Princess, but the more time goes by without any sign of him, the more likely that scenario becomes. It might be time to start accepting the possibility that he didn't make it and try to move on."

"No, Lance. I can't… Not yet… He… He…We…" Her thought is left unfinished as sobs rack her slender frame and she hides her face in her hands.

"It'll be ok. I know you cared about him a lot, but you know he'd want you to be strong now and accept the situation."

"No, you don't understand…" She looks out the window and tries to compose herself before turning back. "There was more to the meaning of the flowers that I didn't tell you about…"

"What flowers? What are you talking about?" Looking at the grief-stricken woman before him, he starts to wonder if she's in worse shape than he though.

"On his birthday, the flowers Keith gave me. They meant more than I told you."

He raises his eyebrow at her confession. "More?"

"Because he gave them to me on his birthday, they served as a marriage proposal…" Her voice trails off as tears fall from her eyes again.

"Marriage… Wait, are you serious? I thought you said that they were to allow him to ask you out even though you are a princess and he's not royalty…"

"That's true, but the rest of the tradition states that if the man gives them to the woman on his birthday, he is asking for her hand in marriage…"

"Oh, man… No wonder you're having such a hard time with this."

"Lance, he's coming back. He wouldn't leave me after proposing. He just wouldn't…"

***

"Nanny, I told you, I don't want a ball. I'm already engaged. I don't need to find a prince to marry."

"Child, first of all, the commander wasn't worthy of your hand. Second, he's gone and not likely to return. You have to move on and find a prince to marry. Your people want a queen and an heir to the throne."

"No, I'll marry Keith when he comes back to me. I don't want anyone else."

Ignoring her protests, Nanny, with help from Coran, arranges for a royal ball in her honor. Invitations are sent out to princes from nearby planets. As the day of the celebration grows closer, the princess grows more and more sullen and moody.

"Princess, are you alright?" Lance asks one day when they are alone in the sitting room. "Wanna talk about it?"

She sighs and slowly turns away from the window to glare at him. "Do you have any idea what this ball means? It means that they really think he's never coming back, Lance! They've given up on him!" Tears stream from her eyes, drip from her chin.

"Oh, Princess…" He closes the distance between them and wraps his arms around her. "Look, I know you miss him, we all do. But… well… the chances of him coming back… We've discussed this before…" He breaks off when his own voice fails and he sighs, rubbing her back gently as he tries to hold back his own tears. "How long do you think you're going to be able to wait before you have to consider finding someone else to marry? You know Nanny and Coran were pushing for this ages ago and they aren't about to let it go now…"

"I won't give up until he comes back or I find him and bring him back. Then I will marry him. I don't want anyone else and I won't consider anyone else. I won't marry just to continue the royal line!" She shrugs out of his embrace and turns back to the window, her shoulders shaking.

"How long do you plan to search for him?" he asks quietly.

"Until I find him! He wouldn't give up on any of us and I won't give up on him… Not ever…" Hearing the desperation in her tone, Lance walks over to the princess and gathers her into his arms once more. He exhales deeply and holds her closer, knowing that there is nothing he can say that will make a difference right now.

***

Keith reports to Haggar's laboratory to begin his robeast training. "Ah, my young subject, are you ready to get started?"

Keith nods at the witch. "I am ready to learn all that you have to teach."

"Good, first we will go over the controls…"

Several hours later, Keith is still there when Lotor arrives. "So old witch, how is the training progressing?"

"He learns quickly. Watch…" Raising her voice so that it reaches Keith at the other end of the room, she orders, "Soldier, show Prince Lotor what you have learned so far."

Keith bows before them. "As you command." He sits back down at a control console set up in the rear of the room. Reaching across the interface, he begins pushing buttons and pulling levers. A small robeast that is visible through a floor to ceiling window can be seen reacting to Keith's manipulation of the controls. The monster is put through his paces flawlessly as the prince and witch look on approvingly.

"Very impressive. I see that he hasn't lost any of his piloting skills along with his memories. When will the robeast be ready for transport? I believe it's nearly time to set our plan into motion!" Lotor rubs his hands together jubilantly in anticipation of this next attack. Raising his head high, a gleeful cackle issues forth and echoes through the room.

***

The day of the ball arrives and Nanny spends it getting Allura dressed and made up. "Oh, Princess, you look so beautiful! The princes will all fall in love with you!" She sighs and clasps her hands to her bosom in pride.

"I don't need or want them to fall in love with me, Nanny. I'm not looking for a husband. Keith will be back."

"Princess, even if he comes back, you will still need to find a prince to marry."

"No. I won't. Don't you remember the flowers he brought me on his birthday? They give him the right to be considered worthy of my hand. You know that as well as I do. And you know that because he gave them to me on his birthday, it served as a proposal."

"Ach, child, he's gone. You have to accept that. And even if he was here, you are a princess. You should marry a prince!"

"Hrmmph!"

A knock on the door interrupts the argument before it can escalate any further. Nanny opens it to find Lance standing there. He cuts a dashing figure in a black tuxedo complete with tails. "Oh, how handsome you look! To think, even a ruffian can clean up nicely!"

Ignoring Nanny's remark, Lance gets right to the point. "Coran sent me to see if the princess was about ready." He steps into the room and gets his first view of Allura. "Wow! You look beautiful Princess! Those princes won't know what hit 'em"

"Ugh, Lance you're as bad as Nanny. I'm not looking for a husband. Keith will be back, you'll see. He's the only prince I want or need."

"Alright, alright…" He raises his hands in front of him in an effort to ward off her impending argument. "I'm not here to argue with you. I was just sent to bring you to the ball. Ready?"

She nods her head and takes his offered elbow. "Let's get this over with already…"

***

The ball is in full swing; the dance floor filled with couples moving in time to the lively music. Princess Allura is resplendent in a pink and white ball gown adorned with crystal embellishments. Her golden hair cascades down her back giving the illusion of a glowing aura surrounding her. She dances with one prince after another, merely going through the motions. Taking a break between songs, she seeks out Lance at one of the tables. "Mind if I sit here with you for a while?"

He stands and offers her his seat. "Course not, Princess. I'm always happy to have a pretty lady join me." He smiles as he takes the seat next to her. Growing more serious, he turns to her asking, "So, how are you holding up? Meet any nice princes?"

She lets out a long sigh. "Lance, please, I told you, I'm not looking for a prince. I'm not here to find a husband. I don't know how I let anyone talk me into this in the first place. I should be out in a lion looking for Keith."

"Princess, it's been months. We've looked everywhere. There's no sign of him. As much as I hate to say it, it might be time to face the fact that he's not coming back."

"Not you too, Lance. You're one of his best friends. How can you give up on him already?"

"I haven't given up, but I have accepted the reality of the situation. And I've done it *because* he's one of my best friends. Trust me, if anyone can find a way to survive and come back from whatever happened, it's Keith. But the more time passes, the less chance there is that he'll show up. And he's the last person to expect us to waste resources on a lost cause, even if that cause is him…"

"I just wish we had found something, anything, to give us a hint as to what happened to him. How could he just vanish without a trace?"

"I know, Princess, I know…" He pats her hand reassuringly. "Hey, I think I see Coran headed this way, you might wanna go find a prince to dance with. There has to be at least one here that you can stand to spend some time getting to know."

"Well, Prince Rhiald seems nice enough, I guess."

"C'mon then, I'll help you find him." Lance stands up and offers her his arm.

"How would you like to dance with me instead, Lance? I don't think I'm quite ready to deal with another prince right now."

"I'd be honored to, Your Highness." He leads her to the dance floor and twirls her into his arms. As they sway to the strains of the music, she rests her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she can almost imagine that she is dancing with Keith. That it's his strong muscles beneath her cheek, his arms holding her close, his heartbeat throbbing in time to the music. Lance sighs and holds her to him wishing that there was more he could do to comfort her. As the song draws to an end, he feels her tense back up as she prepares to resume her royal obligations.

After curtseying to Lance, she wanders off, finds Prince Rhiald, and engages him in small talk. The prince is young with short dark hair and sparkling green eyes set in an open, expressive face. As the music starts up again he leads her towards the dance floor, bowing before her. "May I have this dance?"

Despite her personal resolution to have absolutely no fun tonight, the princess finds herself starting to enjoy the time she spends in Prince Rhiald's company. As they dance to their third consecutive song, the prince whispers to her, "Princess Allura, I know your heart isn't in this evening, so I hope you will agree to spend some time with me on another night. I would like nothing more than for us to get to know each other better. Even with your mind elsewhere, I am finding you to be intoxicating company."

"I'm sorry Prince Rhiald, as I am sure you know, a member of the Voltron force was lost without a trace a few months ago and I am still preoccupied with finding him and achieving his safe return. He means a lot to me and I can't help but feel that my time would be better spent searching for him than here dancing."

"I understand Princess. We have heard about the commander's disappearance on planet Nyroth shortly after it happened. Is there anything I can offer to assist in your search?"

"Thank you, I would gladly take you up on that if I had a lead to follow, but I am running out of places to look." She sighs deeply and he tightens his hold on her in response.

Over the next few weeks, Allura and Rhiald spend quite a bit of time in each other's company. Nanny and Coran begin to plan for a royal wedding despite the princess's insistence that she is not ready to even contemplate marriage to him. Rhiald however, makes it clear to her that as soon as she is ready, he would like to formally make his request for her hand. He even takes the time to interact with the other members of the Voltron Force in an effort to solidify his standing with her.


	8. Will She or Won't She?

"So, Rhiald seems to be really serious about getting the princess to marry him. Do you think he'll be able to wear her down and get her to agree?"

"I dunno, Pidge. I think she's torn. She seems to genuinely like spending time with him, but she still hasn't let go of Keith. Until she does, I don't think she can be expected to make this kind of decision. Did you know that she's out searching for him again right now?"

"But Lance, it's been months. Does she think he's going to suddenly appear out of thin air?"

"I wish I knew. This would all be easier if we just had some clue as to what happened after he ejected. If there had been a body, or a sign of struggle, or something, this would be a lot easier to accept. Heck, even the slightest remains after the explosion would have been enough. The ironic part is that he's the one who would know what to do in this situation. He'd have a way to handle this and get everyone through it."

At the sound of the door opening, both pilots immediately stop talking and turn to find out who is invading their private conversation. Seeing Sven and Hunk, they relax, motioning them over. "Pidge and I were just discussing Rhiald's intentions for the princess."

"Well, he seems like a nice enough man so far. But I don't think she is ready just yet…"

"Yeah Sven's right. She hasn't even stopped lookin' for Keith yet, what makes Rhiald think that she's ready to get married?"

"Hey, we agree Hunk, but Nanny and Coran are going to start pressing the matter with her soon, so we should all be ready to face the consequences of her reaction. She's not gonna take it well."

"Lance has a point, we're going to have to find a way to get her to accept the fact that Keith isn't coming back…" Pidge's voice breaks and tears escape from his eyes as he speaks.

"That's gonna be hard when we haven't completely given up on him yet either…" Lance stands and rests his head on the window glass as he searches the countryside for some clue about their lost leader's whereabouts. "Dammit, Keith, what the hell happened out there?" he whispers under his breath.

***

"Allura, it's been over a month since the ball. Don't you think it's time to start going forward with our wedding plans? Your man has been missing for over four months now. You should move on and let him go." Prince Rhiald takes her hand in his and brings it to his lips. "These past four weeks have been some of the happiest of my life. I can't wait to spend the rest of my days with you by my side."

Tears spring to her eyes at the thought of Keith being gone forever. "But he's out there. I know it. I can feel it. He's alive out there somewhere…" She closes her eyes and reaches out mentally for her missing teammate. She remembers how it felt when he connected with her from planet Balto and tries to recreate that sensation. Just at the edge of her senses there is something. It's faint and nebulous, but she can feel it and she won't give up as long as it's there.

"Princess, be that as it may, he's not here and there hasn't been a new lead since the first month after he disappeared. You need to move beyond this. He's not coming back. It's time to start looking towards the future. Your people need you to stop obsessing over him and move onward."

"He wouldn't give up on finding me if I were the one who was missing…" Her voice fades and her breath catches as she confesses.

"That is because you are more important that he is. He knew that and you need to realize it as well. It's time to contact the Galaxy Garrison and request a new pilot so that you can step down and take your place as my queen."

"No. I won't... I *can't* do that. I need to keep flying Black Lion. He's all I have left…" She is no longer able to hold back the tears and collapses on the table in front of her, sobbing quietly.

"Princess, you know that it's not your place to fly in combat like that. You shouldn't be endangering yourself. You're too important to the planet and your people."

Looking up with tears streaming down her face, Allura glares at Rhiald as she works to control her breathing. "How DARE you talk to me about my place. My place is in my lion, protecting my people, my planet. Keith understood that and that is why he allowed me to join the team when Sven was injured. It's why he allowed me to train in Black Lion. And trust me NO ONE on this planet, or any other, was more protective of me that he was." Her voice lowers to an angry hiss. "And NO ONE is going to convince me to give up flying."

"Allura, you're being unreasonable."

"No, I'm not. Voltron is my birthright, and Black Lion is my connection to Keith. I won't give him up." Her voice grows steely and the tears stop as she stares at the Prince before her.

Rhiald sighs. "I will have Nanny and Coran continue with the wedding preparations. You have one month's time to make your peace with this. Even your missing captain would tell you that it's been long enough…" He stands and makes his way to the door.

Allura remains silent, watching him exit. As the door closes, she sends out a silent prayer. "Keith, where are you? Please come back to me… I need you…" She lowers her head to the table again and this time completely gives in to the grief that has been threatening to overwhelm her.

***

Later that day, Prince Rhiald requests to be allowed to accompany Lance as he goes on patrol and searches for Keith. Unable to think of a reason to deny the prince's wish, Lance consents to take him along. Shortly after they leave, the prince strikes up a conversation with the Red Lion's pilot. "Princess Allura really takes the well-being of her forces to heart doesn't she?"

"Yeah, she's a very caring person. That's part of what her people love about her."

"But don't you think she takes it a little too far sometimes?"

"How so, Prince Rhiald?"

"Well, for one thing, it's been months, yet she still searches daily for the missing captain." Lance can hear the jealousy evident in the prince's voice.

"Ah… Well… Ya see…" He lets out a loud sigh before continuing. "Y'know, maybe I'm not the one you should be talking to about this…"

"Talking about what exactly?"

"She and Keith, well, they were very close and he had just taken the first step toward starting a courtship with her." He starts to say more, but can't bring himself to be the one to tell Rhiald of the true nature of the relationship between Keith and the princess.

"But… He was just a commoner. Surely he didn't think anything would come of it?"

"You obviously don't know Princess as well as you think you do. She's not one to stand on ceremony or formality. She sees people as people, regardless of titles. Besides, he was probably one of the noblest 'commoners' you'd ever meet…" Lance's voice is thick with unexpressed emotion as he discusses his missing friend.

"I can't help but notice that even you refer to him in the past tense. Why hasn't she been willing to arrive at the same conclusion as everyone else?"

"Because she loves him. And not the way she does the rest of us. She sees us as brothers, but she had a real connection with him. It was much deeper. It's hard to just let go of that."

"Well, she will need to accept that he's gone. It isn't healthy for her to keep obsessing over him like this."

"Look Prince, just give her some more time. They'd only just acknowledged their feelings for each other the day he disappeared. It's been tough on her. She'll come around eventually…"

***

"There is nothing more to teach him, sire and the robeast is now ready for transport." Haggar looks toward white haired prince of Doom, gauging his reaction.

"Perfect! I hear that Allura is being pressured to marry that fool prince from Nyroth. It's about time she was provided with another option…"

"I will have Keith and the robeast loaded up right away…"


	9. Memories and Wishes

Sitting in her room, Allura gazes at the framed photo clasped in her hand. The picture is of a young boy who appears to be around 6 years old. He sports a mop of unruly black hair and dancing eyes of nearly the same color. A smile dominates his face as he gazes toward the camera. Tears fall from her eyes as she traces his image. "Keith, where are you?" she whispers. "Rhiald plans to marry me next week. I can't delay him anymore… But it's supposed to be you who I marry…" She sniffs and wipes her hand across her face. "When I look at this picture of you as a child, I can picture my children… our children… Oh, I miss you so much, Keith…"

She gently sets the picture down on the table next to her bedside before turning back to the larger table in front of her window. "I hope you don't mind, Keith, but I had Lance bring me some of your personal effects…" She reaches into the large box that rests on the table and pulls out one of his red flight suit shirts. Bringing it to her face, she inhales deeply trying to absorb as much of his scent as she can from his clothing. Smiling sadly, she pulls the shirt on over her head without even thinking about it. It hangs loosely on her small frame. Obviously too big for her, it looks odd over her pink jump suit. "You always smell so nice…" Looking into the box once more, she reaches in again, this time coming out with a nondescript book grasped in her hand. Opening it, she is surprised to see that it's his personal journal. Leafing through it randomly, she chooses an arbitrary page and begins reading.

**-I'm so glad to finally be out of that hospital bed! I really wish I could get it through to the princess that she doesn't need to run away when she gets scared or worried. If only I could convince her to come to me with her concerns... She has to know I'd protect her with my life. I have to… I love her... I think I always have. I just didn't realize it until I was recuperating from this latest rescue. But as much as I hate being in that hospital wing, I'd gladly spend every day there if it meant keeping her safe.-**

She runs her fingers over the neat block lettering on the page, no longer seeing the words through her tears. Breathing deeply, she flips through to another page at random and begins reading again.

**-Construction on the stadium for the Space Olympics is going well so far. We're ahead of schedule so there may be some time to relax before the athletes start arriving and we have to go back on guard duty. Of course not everything has gone entirely smoothly… Princess and Nanny decided to surprise us with dinner tonight… Let's just say we weren't the only ones surprised when they walked in unannounced. Talk about timing… I don't know how I will ever be able to look either of them in the eye again…-**

A small smile turns up the corners of her mouth and a faint blush rises on her cheeks at the memory of that day. It was certainly a sight she hadn't expected to see, though she definitely enjoyed it.

Flipping to the end of the book she decides to read the last entry, written the day before his birthday.

**-I've decided. I'm gonna tell her how I feel. I can't deal with Lance torturing me all the time anymore. He's beaten me sparring three times this month alone. I've gotta get a grip. Even if she doesn't return my feelings, well at least I'll know and I can deal with that. I think I found something in the library that might help. Now if I can just figure out exactly which flower I need and where it grows... I need to locate it during my patrol today, so I can give it to her at my birthday party tomorrow…-**

She gently closes the book and places it next to the photo on her bedside table before returning to the box…

***

Keith is asleep in his cell aboard the Doom craft. Suddenly he is awakened when the soft sound of a woman's voice echoes in his head. "Keith, where are you?" Snapping his eyes open, he bolts upright. He hears the voice again. "I miss you so much, Keith…" Looking around, he sees no one in the cell with him. The voice seems familiar, but he can't place it. Holding his head between his hands, he tries to figure out where it could be coming from. He's so confused. There is something comforting about the woman's words and he is sure that she holds the key to his past. She was calling for someone named Keith… Could that be his name? For the first time in months, he searches his mind for some clue about his life before waking up in a cell…

***

The Doom fleet rapidly approaches Arus and alarms begin to wail throughout the castle. Allura races to Castle Control, hastily wiping away her tears as she goes, unaware that she is still wearing Keith's shirt. Arriving, she sees that the rest of the team is already there crowded around Coran at the monitor. "What is it?" She asks.

"A Doom fleet just entered Arus's…" Lance begins answering her, stopping in mid-sentence as he turns and takes in her appearance. "You OK, Princess?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Lance." Her eyes plead with him to let it drop, thinking that he is reacting to her tear streaked face. "Right now we need to go deal with this threat. To your lions, boys!" She races to Black Lion's tunnel without glancing back to make sure that they are following her and missing the shared look that passes through the rest of her crew.

"Where'd she get his shirt?" The dark haired Norwegian pilot asks.

"It must have been in the box of his stuff that I brought her earlier."

"So do you think she knows that she's wearing it?" Hunk watches her back as she grabs the T-bar and disappears from view.

"I think it's sweet…" Pidge takes off his glasses in order to clean them.

The sound of a throat clearing reminds them that the princess is already on her way to Black Lion. "Sorry Coran, we're on our way." Turning as one, they race to enter the tunnels leading to the remaining Lions.

They fly out to intercept the approaching enemy force. As they get within range, a robeast is unleashed. The bright red monster resembles a giant armored, humanoid wolf. "Alright boys, let's tame this puppy!"

Lance takes the initiative and flies ahead in an attempt to ram the monster's chest and knock it off balance. Before he can get close enough, the robeast seems to anticipate his move and steps aside allowing the Red Lion to fly past harmlessly. Just as he clears the creature, it reaches out; grabbing the Lion's tail and yanking it back sharply. Inside the cockpit, Lance is thrown from his seat by the sudden, violent change in speed. Just as quickly, the robeast releases its hold and the Red Lion falls limply to the ground. The monster calmly turns to square off against its remaining opponents.

"Lance! Are you alright?" Allura shouts into the communicator, but there is no response and the Red Lion remains sprawled on the ground, motionless.

This time it's Pidge who surges forward in the Green Lion and launches a series of scatter missiles towards the beast. Just as the warheads near the monster, it anticipates the attack and has already activated a shield to block the bursts, redirecting them back upon Pidge. They explode, catching his Lion in the eruption, knocking it sideways, completely out of control.

Before she can react to this latest event, Prince Lotor makes contact with the Black Lion pilot. "Princess Allura, the word on Doom is that you have chosen a prince to marry. I would like you to re-think your choice and accept my proposal instead. I can offer you the galaxy as my Queen…"

"Never Lotor! I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man in the entire universe. And no robeast of yours will change my mind!"

"We'll see about that… My offer won't last forever Allura; you would be wise to give it more consideration instead of just dismissing me out of hand…" His words come out in a menacing snarl before he slams down a gloved fist, severing the connection.

"Pidge! Can you hear me? Lance? Hunk, Sven, we've got to think of a way to defeat this thing. It keeps anticipating all our moves before we make them… I wish Keith was here. He'd know what to do…" She closes her eyes and tries one more time to connect to him, wherever he is. Reaching out mentally, she is shocked to feel him much more strongly than before and snaps her eyes open in surprise. "Keith…?" she whispers his name uncertainly. "Could it be? Are you here somewhere?"

Unaware of what is happening in the cockpit of Black Lion; Hunk takes this opportunity to fire his proton missiles at the wolf-like head. Just as with the other attacks, the creature seems to know what is coming by the time the weapon launches, countering it perfectly so that it rebounds against the Yellow Lion. The third lion ship falls helplessly to lie next to its red and green companions.

Focusing intensely, Allura opens her mind again reaching out for Keith's. "Keith, I can feel you, you must be somewhere close… Please answer me… We need your help!"

Suddenly, the monster shakes its head viciously and falls heavily to its knees. A soul shattering howl rends the air as the creature presses clawed hands to its pointed ears. "What…?" Sven looks around trying to figure out what is happening. Noticing that the Black Lion hasn't moved in some time, he opens a connection to the princess. "Princess, are you alright? We should strike now while the robeast is disoriented." His melodic voice distracts her and she shakes her head in order to regain her wits.

"Sven? What happened? I thought I felt Keith's mind and was trying to connect to him…"

"The monster, it's confused…"

"Could it be…? Sven do you think…? Could he be *in* there? Controlling it?"

"That would explain how it anticipated our moves… He would be the only one who would know what we would do before we do it."

"We have to find a way to disable it without destroying it. Sven, do you think you can do that if I keep him distracted?"

"It's our only chance, Princess. Let's hope it will be enough…"

"OK, here we go…" Allura brings the Black Lion close to the wolf-like creature before closing her eyes and reaching out again… "Keith, are you in there? Please come back to me… I know you won't hurt me. I know you love me, and I love you too… Stop fighting us…"

Sven watches as the robeast stops moving and stands mesmerized facing the Black Lion. "Good job, Princess. I think you have his attention…" His words are a quiet whisper within his pilot cabin. He slowly approaches with the Blue Lion and is pleased when the monster completely ignores him, remaining transfixed by the spell Allura is weaving between them. He edges closer and closer, afraid that any swift movements will break the trance. Finally, he gets close enough to the creature to create a lion rope net and ensnare the monster within it. Pulling quickly, he traps the beast, binding its appendages. "Got him, Princess. Now we just have to figure out what to do with him. And we have to wake up the others…"

"Bring him to the desert. Use your water burst to flood the area and create mud to bury him in. I'll get the others and we'll meet you there to figure out our next move."

"On my way…" The Blue Lion lifts off, the netted creature dangling from his mouth.

Allura lands the Black Lion and exits her cabin to check on the other three pilots. She enters the Red Lion and finds Lance lying on the floor next to his seat. He has a bloody nose, but she doesn't see any other obvious injuries. Kneeling down next to him, she reaches out and gently shakes his shoulder. "Lance… Lance… Wake up Lance… Arus to Lance…"

"Hmmmffggn…" He tries to roll away from her refusing to open his eyes.

"Lance! Get up now!"

"Huh? Wha? Allura?"

"Get up, Lance. I think we found Keith!"

"Keith! But where? How?"

"Sven and I think he is controlling the robeast that just attacked. He anticipated every move any of us made. It seemed hopeless, so I reached out for Keith and felt his mind nearby. At the same time, Sven noticed that the monster became disoriented. I used my connection to him in order to create a distraction long enough for Sven to capture him, but not before you, Pidge, and Hunk were knocked out."

"Where is he now?"

"Sven took him to the desert and turned it into a mudflat to bury him in. Can you rouse Pidge and Hunk and then join us there? I wanna go see if I can figure out how to get Keith out of that thing…"

"Sure, Princess!"

She races back out of the Red Lion and is in the air seconds later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I know Blue might not be strong enough to carry the monster alone... But I believe in magic and ask you to as well... :-)


	10. Found but Still Lost

Sven arrives at the desert and unleashes a flood of epic proportions from the Blue Lion's maw. As soon as it soaks into the sand forming a slushy mud, he dives down and digs out an area large enough to bury the robeast's entire body. He pushes it into the hole before carefully filling it back in, leaving only the wolf-like head visible. Landing nearby, he slowly approaches the creature speaking to it slowly and calmly. "Keith, are you in there? Can you hear me?"

He looks up as he hears another Lion approaching. The Black Lion touches down next to his and the princess immediately makes her way over to the buried monster. "Keith, it's me. Can you hear me? Do you know how to get out of that thing?" The creature doesn't respond or make any attempt at movement. Its eyes close slowly and a grimace forms on its snout. Once she is within arm's length, Allura is sure that she can hear a whimpering moan coming from the creature. "Sven, it's OK. Come here and help me find a release mechanism. We need to get him out of there."

As they begin to examine every exposed inch of the creature, the rest of the Lions arrive. Sven and Allura watch the other three pilots as they exit their ships. Lance has managed to clean most of the blood from his nose, Pidge is rotating his left shoulder gingerly, and Hunk holds his ribs. Doctor Gorma is going to be busy when they get back to the castle…

Joining their teammates, the Voltron pilots all look for any sign of a way to get Keith out of the robeast. Finally, Pidge shouts triumphantly as he touches a small area near the hinge of the creature's jaw. Before their eyes, the monster's head splits open to reveal a black haired human slumped over a console. "KEITH!" Allura's shriek causes the man to move slightly, but he remains unconscious. They set work extricating Keith from the robot monster. Once he is clear, they lay him down on the sand in order to check for injuries. Not finding anything obvious, they attempt to wake him up.

"Keith, wake up. C'mon buddy, come back to us." Lance starts by shaking Keith's shoulder and when that doesn't work, he gently slaps the prone man's cheeks. "C'mon, man, wake up." Suddenly, Keith's eyes snap open and he scrambles backwards, rising to his feet and taking a defensive stance as he eyes the five people before him warily.

"Who are you? What are you planning to do with me?" He looks from one face to the next as he breathes deeply, anticipating an attack.

"Keith, we're your friends. We rescued you from Lotor and just want to take you back to the castle." Allura takes a step towards him and is shocked when he backs away from her, a wild look in his eyes.

"No! You've captured me. I demand that you let me go. My master will view this as an act of war against the Doom Empire!"

"Keith, you aren't a Doom soldier. You're the leader of the Voltron Force, and our friend. Please, trust us, let us help you…" She reaches her hand out towards him and repeats the message mentally.

"YOU! You're the voice in my head! How are you doing that?"

"Keith, you and I, we have a connection. We have been able to reach out to one another in times of great need. You called to me once when you needed me to join the team on planet Balto; I've been calling to you since your disappearance months ago. Please… Just let us help you." She reaches her hand out to him once more, but he just eyes it suspiciously. Once again, she sends the message directly to his mind, willing him to go with them.

Keith drops to his knees in the soft sand and raises his hands to his head, moaning. "Get out of my head…" Suddenly he slumps forward limply.

"We'd better get him to Doc Gorma. Princess, I think it's best if he doesn't ride with you, just in case he comes to again. There's no telling what he might do."

She nods silently as Lance lifts Keith over his shoulder and begins carrying him back to the Red Lion for the trip back to the castle. After carefully and securely strapping him into the back of the cabin, Lance takes off, flying to the palace. The others load up and after making sure to destroy the robot monster's body; they turn toward the castle as well, a worried silence encompassing them as they go.

Doctor Gorma's trauma team is waiting for Lance when he lands in the courtyard. They rush in and put Keith onto a stretcher for transport to the hospital. Once his cargo is dropped off, Lance returns Red to his resting place in the volcano before taking the tunnels back into the castle proper. Joining the rest of his teammates, they make their way to the medical wing to wait for an update on Keith's condition. "And you three are going to be checked out too." Allura pins Lance, Pidge and Hunk with her glare. "No arguments."

"Alright, Princess, but we're fine."

"Let the doctor be the one to determine that, Lance."

As they walk into the foyer of the hospital annex, they are greeted by nurse Essibi. "The doctor is still examining Keith, but I can take a look at the rest of you. Come with me, please. Who wants to go first?"

When no one moves right away, Allura sighs and places her hands on her hips. "Fine, Lance you go first. We should make sure you don't have a concussion. When he's done, Hunk you go and have your ribs looked at. Pidge, you can go last. Sven and I will wait here."

Lance lowers his head and follows the nurse solemnly, resembling a recalcitrant child. While he is gone, the princess paces back and forth waiting for word about Keith. Lance returns after a few minutes and walks over to Hunk. "Your turn." As Hunk walks off, Lance sits down heavily on one of the chairs scattered around the room.

"Are you alright, Lance?"

"Yes, Princess. No concussion, not even a broken nose. Just a few bruises. I told you I was fine. Any word on Keith yet?"

She shakes her head, "No, not yet," she states softly.

Hunk returns after a short time and sits next to Lance as Pidge trudges back to the exam room. Allura turns to him and raises her eyebrow, "So, what's the diagnosis?"

"One cracked rib, but it's just a hairline fracture and should be pretty quick to heal. Any word on Keith yet?"

"No, we're still waiting. I'm sure they're just trying to be thorough since he was missing for so long," Sven answers quietly. The three men sit and watch as the princess continues to pace the room tirelessly. When the door opens to admit Pidge, his arm in a sling, she whirls around only to sigh in disappointment. "I'm OK too, Princess. Just a sprained shoulder. I should be fine in a few days or so."

"I'm relieved, Pidge. Really, I'm glad that you are all OK. I'm just anxious to hear about Keith…"

As she resumes pacing, the door from the castle proper opens and Prince Rhiald enters. "There you are, Allura. I had only heard that a trauma team was needed to rush someone to the hospital and I feared it was you."

"I'm fine. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk got a little banged up, but we did it!" A smile lights up her face. "We got Keith back! He's the one we called the trauma team for. We're still waiting to hear what his condition is."

"I see... It's wonderful that you were finally able to recover your missing man. Hopefully he will be declared well in time to attend our wedding."

Before the princess can respond to him, Doctor Gorma enters the waiting area. "Well, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"The good news, please." Allura turns to hear the doctor's update, ignoring the Prince behind her.

"The good news is that there is nothing physically wrong with the commander. There are signs that he may have had a concussion at some point in the past, but he has completely recovered from that. There is very little evidence of any other trauma on his person recently."

Allura takes a deep breath, "And the bad news?"

"He appears to be suffering from amnesia and believes that he is one of Lotor's elite soldiers. There is no telling if this is permanent or not and there is no treatment to help him restore his old memories. Only time will tell if he will return to the person he was before."

"Can we go see him?"

"If you'd like. But be warned. He started to get a little violent, so he has been partially sedated and strapped to the bed. He will remain in that state until we are sure that he can be trusted to refrain from attacking visitors and staff. Should his memory return, we will release the restraints and take him off the sedatives. I would also like to ask that no more than two or three people visit him at a time in order to keep him from getting overwhelmed. If he feels threatened and struggles against the restraints, he could injure himself."

"Understood. Lance, Sven, want to come with me to see him?"

The two men stand and wordlessly follow the princess into the patient area.


	11. A Step in the Right Direction

Lotor angrily paces on the bridge of his ship. "How dare she turn me down again! I can't believe that she would choose that fool over me!"

"Prince Lotor, the robeast has been destroyed."

He mutters under his breath before drawing his laser sword and neatly slicing the robot servant's head from its neck. Turning away from the body, he slams his fist into the wall, letting out a loud scream as he makes impact. "How did they defeat him? He should have been able to anticipate their attacks!"

Swiveling back to the figure on the floor, he pulls back his leg and violently kicks the severed head across the room. "They will pay for this! Princess Allura *will* be mine!"

***

Entering Keith's room, the trio approaches slowly, eyeing the straps that bind his arms and legs to the bed, leaving him very little slack in which to move. His eyes are half lidded and unfocused. "Keith, do you know where you are?" Allura reaches down and strokes his cheek tenderly.

His only response is a low murmur as he turns his head away from her hand.

"Give him time, Princess. You heard the doctor. He's under sedation and suffering from amnesia. He's had a big shock today. I mean think about it, he woke up in Lotor's camp, thinking he was a Doom soldier this morning. Now he finds out that he is the leader of the Voltron Force. That's gotta be some kinda culture shock, y'know?" Lance chuckles hoping to lift Allura's mood a little.

She looks at him and sighs. "I know, Lance. You're right…" She turns back to Keith and starts to reach for him again but stops, dropping her hand to her side as she lowers her eyes. "It's just that I've missed him so much and now that he's finally back…"

"I know, Princess, but you have to be patient with him."

"Lance is right, Princess. He's been through a lot and he's going to need time to recover and heal. Trust me, it's going to take time. The best we can do for now is talk to him and remind him of who he was before."

They take up places around the room, quietly telling Keith about the kind of man he was before he disappeared and filling him in on everything that happened while he was gone.

***

"Why did she take them with her instead of me?" Prince Rhiald is obviously upset by Allura's choice of companions for her visit with Keith.

"Well, they know Keith, you don't. Since he's never met you, there wouldn't be much you could do to try and jog his memory. I'm sure you'll get to meet him later." Pidge can't understand what is bothering the prince so much.

"There is no reason for her to be in there with him at all. She is due to get married soon and will need to leave this part of her life behind once she is crowned queen."

Pidge and Hunk exchange a worried look behind the prince's back, knowing that this is not going to go well.

"Does she know that you expect her to step down from the force? I don't think she's gonna like that." Hunk eyes the prince warily.

"Of course she knows. Why would she think that it would be proper to continue flying after she is married?"

"Cuz Princess loves to fly the Lions and protect her planet. And she's really good at it too!" Pidge's face beams with his pride for the princess.

"Well it's not fitting for a reigning monarch. She will see reason and understand."

Hunk and Pidge look at each other again, each raising an eyebrow. They begin to realize just how little this prince really knows about the Arusian ruler. They decide to drop the subject for now and wait for their friends to return from their visit with Keith.

***

Over the next few days, the team takes turns visiting Keith in an attempt to restore his memories. Allura manages to convince Rhiald to postpone the wedding for a couple of weeks while they concentrate on helping Keith recuperate. As the days pass, Prince Rhiald begins to grow more resentful of the time that Allura spends visiting the captain. When the first week ends with no change in Keith's status, he confronts her.

"Allura, it's been over a week and he hasn't made any improvements. Why do you insist on spending all this time with him? It obviously could be better spent with me planning our wedding and our future."

"It's only been a week. He's been under Lotor's influence for months. I can't abandon him. I need to help him recover. If you really cared for me at all, you'd understand how much he means to me and wouldn't try to stop me from helping him."

"Allura, even if he recovers, you need to focus on our marriage and your coronation."

"Rhiald, now isn't the time to discuss this. He needs me and if you can't understand or accept that, well, then I'm sorry."

"Look, I've spoken with Nanny and Coran and they agree with me. You need to let the rest of the Voltron Force deal with the captain so that you can turn your attentions to your royal obligations. I am going to have to insist that you make a choice. Him or me!"

"I can't believe you! Are you seriously asking me to make this choice? Right now? If you can't understand how important being part of the Voltron Force is to me or how important it is for me to see Keith restored, then you don't know me at all. I've made it quite clear since the day we met at the ball that his safe return was my priority. Helping him recover is part of that. If you are going to force me to choose, well… then…" tears spring from her eyes as she is suddenly reduced to sobs.

He steps forward and encircles her with his arms. "Shhh… You'll see, it'll be better this way. You will have enough to occupy you as a queen and eventually a mother."

Letting out a frustrated scream, she pushes the prince away from her. "NO! You just don't get it. If I have to choose, I choose Keith and Voltron. I would always choose Keith and Voltron! Consider our engagement off. I want you to leave." Allura spins on her heel and storms off towards the hospital wing. She needs to see Keith, needs to be near him. Most of all, she needs him to be *her* Keith again.

Arriving at Keith's room, she heads right to his bedside. He is still strapped down and his eyes are glazed over. "Keith, can you hear me? I know you're in there. Please come back to me." She sits next to the bed and holds his hand in both of hers as she tries to stop the tears that continue to fall from her eyes. Concentrating on his limp hand, she reaches out with her mind, touching his, trying to dig down deep into his head in order to bring him back. She can feel him, but there is a wall that she just can't seem to break through. An hour later, exhausted, she slumps forward, asleep with her head on his hand.

***

The next day, Prince Rhiald seeks her out after breakfast. "Princess Allura, now that you have had the night to think things over, have you managed to come to your senses and rethink your angry outburst from last night?"

"What? No, I have not changed my mind! You wanted me to pick, so I did. I will *always* pick Keith and Voltron. I thought I asked you to leave."

"I… I just thought you were angry, that it was merely a quarrel and that you spoke without thinking." His shoulders slump and he looks at her, taking in her stern expression before speaking again. "Very well, if that's how you truly feel, then I will leave today. I am sorry that things didn't work out for us. I really did enjoy spending time in your company and would have loved to make you my wife and queen."

"For what it's worth, Rhiald, I also enjoyed the time we shared, but I could never have given you my whole heart. I love Keith, I've always loved him… I'm sorry… Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be back in the medical wing…" She gives him a small, sad smile before turning and exiting the room.

Arriving at Keith's room, she sees that he is not alone. Lance sits next to his bed, speaking quietly with his commanding officer. Allura knocks gently on the door frame, not wanting to interrupt. Lance turns and seeing that it's the princess, motions her into the room. "Hey, Princess. Everything OK?" He can see that she's been crying again.

"Yeah, Rhiald and I had a huge fight last night. He wanted me to give up on Keith's recovery and step down from the Force. He even had the nerve to give me an ultimatum! Needless to say, he will be off my planet by nightfall."

"Wow… And you're OK with that?"

"Lance, do you really think that I wouldn't pick Keith and flying a Lion over marrying a prince? You know how I feel about Keith and how important being a part of Voltron is to me. If Keith had never been lost, I would never have been convinced to even consider marrying Rhiald."

"No, I know you'd never choose to give up your place on the Force. But, I thought you really liked Rhiald."

"I did, but not as much as I tried to convince myself that I did. You know it's always been Keith…" She looks down at the figure lying half asleep before her. "Any improvement from him yet?"

"No, not really. I think that the sedation is making it hard for him to think though. He seems so lost and confused. Maybe if we can convince the doc to tone down the meds, we can get through to him easier."

"I'll go talk to him and see what he says. I hate seeing Keith like this." She reaches down and strokes his hair and cheek tenderly before leaving to find the doctor.

"Keith, buddy, ya gotta come back to us. She needs ya. She's been a wreck while you've been gone. I think those flowers on your birthday really got to her… Heck you could have told me you were going to be proposing to her…"

***

"Doctor Gorma, do you have a minute?"

"Of course, Your Highness. What can I do for you?"

"It's about Keith. Lance and I were talking and we think that the sedatives that you have him on are keeping him from being able to think clearly. We were hoping you could start weaning him off them and then maybe his memories would start to resurface."

"I've been considering it, Princess, but I worry that he will begin to act aggressively if we do."

"I understand, but I have confidence that we can bring him back and keep him calm. Please? If he starts to act out, you can put him under again."

"Very well… I just hope that you're right."


	12. A Lot to Think About

As the sedatives slowly dissipate from his system, Keith becomes more aware of his surroundings. He has a steady stream of visitors at all hours of the day and night. Hunk and Pidge update him on the status of the Lions and any improvements that they have been able to make since he's been gone. They tell him about a lot of the castle gossip and promise to show him the enhancements first hand when he's better. "…And Princess has been flying your Black Lion while you were gone. You'd be so proud of her, Keith. She's the one who figured out that you were in the robeast and how to rescue you. She's really missed you…" Pidge stops for a breath and looks at the man lying in the bed before him.

"You must be mistaken. She is intended for Prince Lotor. He has determined that she will be his bride."

"Keith, she'd never marry him. You of all people should know that. You've rescued her from him enough times… What did he do to ya to make you think you work for the forces of Doom? Seriously, you've almost died so many times trying to defeat him." Hunk stands and starts pacing the room as he speaks, his fists clenched at his sides.

***

Lance spends his visits keeping Keith updated on Allura. "Keith, do you have any idea how much she's missed you? She looked for you every day when you were missing. Princess refused to give up or to stop believing that you would come back to her. I thought she was going to flee the planet when Nanny and Coran forced a wedding date for her and Rhiald. You should have seen her the day you came back. I'd brought her a box of your personal effects, we'll have to work on getting it back from her at some point, and she was going through it all. Well when the alarms went off as Lotor's ships arrived, she came down to control with your shirt on over her jump suit. She looked pretty cute in it too, even with her tear stained face… You may never get that shirt back from her. I'm pretty sure she's been sleeping in it lately."

Keith takes this all in silently, not sure what to make of the information he is being given. These people all claim to be his friends and teammates, but they all tell him impossible stories about the princess. She is meant for Lotor. He will marry her and add her planet to his empire. Why do they keep trying to convince him otherwise? But he heard her voice in his head. That had to mean something didn't it?

***

When Sven visits, he also spends most of his time with Keith discussing Allura and her feelings for him. "She was so upset when you were missing, that she couldn't even bring herself to call me to come take over Blue Lion. She had to have Lance call. The princess wouldn't accept the fact that you were gone and might not come back. And to be honest, I would really like you to get back to normal soon so I can go home to Pollux. I miss Romelle…"

"Romelle? Why do I know that name? Why am I so confused? I used to know who I was and what my place was. I am a soldier. I follow orders. I am on a mission to destroy Voltron and if possible capture the princess for my master."

"No Keith, that's not who you are. That's who Lotor wanted you to be. Who they convinced you to be. Think Keith! I know you're still in there."

***

Allura visits Keith multiple times throughout each day, often staying late into the night just talking to him and reassuring him. "Keith, I wish you'd start showing signs of remembering who you are. I hate seeing you strapped down like this." She holds his hand as she often does during her visits, hoping that the contact will help him recall the past. A month has passed since his rescue from the robeast. The sedatives have been out of his system for two weeks and there have been no incidents, but there has been little to no progress either. Desperate to get through to him, the princess decides to try another tactic to restore Keith's mind. "Do you remember the day you were captured? It was your birthday and you were late for your own party. Do you know why you were so late?"

He looks at her blankly, trying desperately to remember. "No. I don't remember anything except serving Doom. But I know there was something before that, I know I had a life before that, I just have no memories of it."

She can see the pain that he is in and how urgently he wants answers. "Keith, I have an idea. Do you think that you can behave if I undo your restraints? You aren't going to attack me are you?"

"I promise to behave, Princess. You have my word." She searches his eyes and reaches out mentally to verify his answer. Believing his sincerity, she smiles at him.

"OK, I'll be back in a couple of minutes, and I'll let you loose then. But there will be guards right outside the door just in case, understand?"

He nods wordlessly as she exits the room.

Five minutes later she returns with Lance in tow. He carries a box and gently sets it down on the table near the bed. "You sure you don't want me to stay in here with you for this, Princess?"

"No, we'll be fine Lance. I'd like you to stay right outside the door just in case, but I think Keith and I will be OK. He's promised to be a gentleman, haven't you?" She smiles down at him encouragingly.

"Yes" he whispers. "I will not do anything untoward."

Once Lance leaves the room, Allura returns to Keith's bedside and begins undoing the restrains holding his legs to the bed. As he twists his ankles around, relishing the freedom of movement, she makes her way up to his hands. Slowly, she undoes one strap and then the other, watching as he rubs his wrists gently. "Ready? Want me to help you sit up?" At his slow nod, she finds the controls and brings the head of the bed up to a sitting position and props some pillows behind him. "That better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

She smiles at him and opens the box. "So I decided to have Lance bring some of your things for you to look at. I was hoping that maybe something in here would help you remember." She reaches in and pulls out his red flight suit shirt. "Do you remember this? It was one of your favorite shirts." She hands it to him and he turns the fabric around in his hands, examining the insignia and piping before closing his eyes, letting his fingers explore the texture. She reaches out gently with her mind as he inspects the garment and feels the wall in his mind weakening. Smiling she reaches back into the box and brings out a framed photo of a young boy. "This is you when you were a child. Doesn't look like a little Doom soldier to me…" He takes the picture and looks at the face staring back at him.

"My mother took this… It was my sixth birthday…" He whispers the words quietly almost as if he is unaware of what he is saying. She probes his mind again and beams as she can feel cracks starting to form in the barrier containing his past.

"Ready for the next item?" He swallows hard and nods, putting the picture down on top of the shirt lying beside him on the bed.

Taking a deep breath, Allura reaches into the box again. When she brings her arm back out, it is cradling a pressed flower. "OK this one is a little different. This is something that you gave to me. This is the reason you were late for your birthday party…" She holds her breath as she hands it to him and waits nervously to see his reaction.

His fingers gently caress the petals of the flower before he brings it to his nose and inhales. Closing his eyes, he breathes deeply, and when he speaks, she has to strain to hear the words. "The cliff, I scaled the cliff to get these for you, because…" He trails off and looks confused. "I can't remember. There was a reason I had to get these for you, but I can't remember what it was…" When he looks up at her, her eyes are closed and a single tear is slowly traveling down her cheek.

As he starts speaking she reaches out to him mentally and begins pushing against the obstruction blocking his memories. Her eyes open when she hears his voice trail off and without thinking, she leans forward capturing his lips in a gentle kiss. At first he doesn't respond, but after a few seconds, just before she is about to pull back in defeat, his empty hand comes up to cradle the back of her head as he returns the kiss. Inside his head there is a sensation like a rubber band snapping as his memories suddenly flood back. Breaking apart slowly, they gaze into each other's eyes. "Keith?"

His voice is barely a breathy whisper in reply. "Allura… I remember. I remember everything… I'm *so* sorry… I was horrible; I put you all in danger. Lance, Pidge, Hunk… I… I could have killed them." He looks at her with tears in his eyes.

"Shhh… It's OK, you didn't kill them. They're fine. I'm pretty sure you've all done worse to each other during hand to hand practice."

"But Allura…"

"No, no buts. First I'm going to put these things back into the box, and then you are going to get some real rest with no restraints. We'll talk more later. I'll have the doctor come in and check you again to see when you can be released. Everything's going to be all right now."

She gently repacks the flower, picture, and shirt into the box and then after returning the bed to a fully reclined position, she tucks the pillows and blankets into place around him. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, she caresses his cheek before turning and leaving the room in search of Doctor Gorma.

Standing outside the doorway, Lance turns to Allura as she exits Keith's room. "So, how'd it go?"

"It worked, Lance! It worked! He remembers, unfortunately he also still remembers everything he did since his abduction and is feeling pretty guilty about it." She sighs and gives him a half smile. "I'm going to go find Doctor Gorma to check him out again now that he knows who he is."

Lance turns and enters the room as Allura heads down the hallway. "Keith? Allura said you finally got your memories back. How're you feeling?"

"Terrible, how could I have done those things? I tried to kill you all. I wanted to destroy Voltron!" He turns onto his side, facing the wall, no longer able to look at his friend.

"Keith, that wasn't you. That was whatever influence you were under. No one would hold you responsible for that. Do you remember what happened? How they got you? How they convinced you to join them?"

He turns back to face Lance. "I remember having to bail out of Blue and then the next thing I recall is waking up in a cell on Doom. Lotor and Haggar were in the hallway and I couldn't remember who I was. They told me I was one of their best soldiers. At some point I fell asleep and when I woke up, I didn't even realize that it was unusual that I didn't have any earlier memories."

"Doc Gorma said you likely got a concussion when you ejected, it could have resulted in amnesia. Maybe when Lotor and Haggar realized that you had no memories, they cast a spell on you to keep you that way."

"Listen, Lance, I feel awful about what I did while in control of that monster. I would have killed you all."

"But you didn't. All our injuries were minor and have long since healed. Let it go, OK? Now it's time to get you back up and into Black Lion so we can send Sven home before Romelle comes and kidnaps him."

Keith chuckles quietly and then grows serious again. "Lance? Did Allura really almost get married while I was gone?"

Lance sighs and quirks his lips. "Well, kinda, though it wasn't her choice really. She got a lot of pressure from Nanny and Coran, and with you missing, well she didn't have as much reason or heart to fight them on it. Though she never did give up on finding you. And that caused some issues with her and Rhiald. He was upset that she insisted on searching for you every day. Then when she finally did find you, he was jealous of the time she spent here. Eventually it all came to a head when he told her that she was going to have to step down from the force. He actually told her that she had to either choose him or choose to spend time with you and fly as part of Voltron. I'll let you guess what she chose." There is a smirk on the pilot's face when he stops talking.

Keith smiles softly and closes his eyes as he tries to reconcile all the new information that he's been presented with today.


	13. Forgiveness Isn't Easy

Doctor Gorma insists on keeping Keith in the infirmary for two more days as a precaution. Once he's released, he eases back into the old routines. Sven remains on Arus for another week while they get Keith used to the rigors of command again. For a while, things are peaceful and the team makes the most of it. Nanny and Coran even forgive Allura for her broken engagement. The only thing that is different is the relationship between Keith and the princess. While she does occasionally pull the pressed flowers out and look at them longingly, she doesn't mention them to Keith again. He's still struggling with his actions while under Lotor's control so she decides to gives him time to heal for a while. Doctor Gorma recommends that Keith speaks with a therapist to help work out his conflicting emotions and guilt when he starts to doubt his ability to lead the team effectively.

***

Doctor Saerillo works with Keith to help him understand that he was not responsible for his actions while under Lotor's control. "You were under a spell, Keith. You had no way to know who you really were. Haggar has powerful magic, you know that."

"True, but I could have fought against it. I should have been stronger."

"Keith, let me ask you a question. If it had been say, Lance, who was taken and put under a spell to think that he was a Doom soldier, would you be holding his actions against him right now?"

"Of course not. He can't be held responsible for doing something that was out of his control."

"Then why do you insist on holding yourself accountable for something that you were powerless to resist or prevent?"

"Because… Well… I just should have been able to resist it. I'm the captain… I'm supposed to be in control. I should have seen it coming and not let it happen." Keith shakes his head as his voice fades to a whisper.

"And just how do you think you could have prevented it from happening? Did they warn you or give you some sign about what they were going to do? Did you have any reason to doubt that you were who they told you that you were?"

"Well, no… But that doesn't matter, Doc Saerillo. I'm supposed to be trained to handle any situation and to lead my team through it safely. Not only did I not do that, I actively tried to kill them! How can I trust myself to lead? And how can I possibly expect the rest of the team to trust me?"

"Well for one thing, they all know that that wasn't you. They know that you were under a spell and would never have done those things of your own free will. The rest of your team already trusts you. They never stopped trusting you. Now you need to start trusting yourself."

"But how do I know that it won't happen again?"

"Well for one thing, the spell has been broken and you haven't shown any signs of a relapse. Have you felt like you no longer knew who you are recently? Or like you weren't in control of your actions?"

"Well, no… But I still feel guilty over what I did."

"Keith, how do you know that the decisions you make during battle are correct?"

"I trust my instincts, my training… And well sometimes the decisions aren't the right ones."

"And what happens when you make a wrong decision?"

"Someone can get hurt, or killed."

"OK, what happens when you make a wrong decision during battle, but can correct for it and no one ends up injured?"

"Then you learn from it and try not to make that mistake again."

Doctor Saerillo looks at Keith and raises his eyebrow questioningly. "Do you keep blaming yourself too?"

"Of course not, no harm, no foul…" Keith stops staring at his boots and looks back up at the doctor. "OK, I get your point. But I still feel guilty."

"Hmmm… Let's try something else. Feel up to a little role play?"

"I dunno… What do I have to do?"

"Just indulge me for a minute. Pretend it was Lance who went through the trauma of being captured, having amnesia, and being under Haggar's spell. You were able to rescue him and restore his memories, but he blames himself for everything that happened when he was under Lotor's control. What would you say to him?"

"I'd tell him that we don't blame him, it wasn't really him doing those things and that none of us hold him responsible for his actions. We know he would never do anything like that and would never purposely endanger the rest of the team."

"What if he refused to believe you?"

"I'd keep reminding him of who he really is and I'd go out of my way to show him how much I still trusted him."

"And how has your team treated you since your recovery?"

"Like nothing ever happened. Like they all still trust me with their lives…"

"Because they do. You're going to have to find a way to let this go and trust yourself. It's going to take you some time, but you'll get there. The problem that you are having isn't what happened; it's that it happened to you. I know you hold yourself to a higher standard than you hold anyone else, but you have to accept that you're human, Keith. You're not perfect. You make mistakes like everyone else, and sometimes things happen that are out of your control. The sooner you can accept that, the sooner you will be able to move past your feelings of guilt."

***

After a couple of months of sessions, the captain is feeling more confident again. The pre-abduction Keith has finally returned a little more than eight months after he first disappeared. Allura decides that a celebration is in order. A picnic lunch is packed up and blankets are spread near the lake. Everyone is enjoying the warm sunshine and good food, when the alarm klaxons sound. Grabbing the communicator lying next to him, Keith calls Coran at Castle Control for an update. "Doom ships have just entered Arus's airspace and there is a coffin ship with them. We're going to need the Lions, Keith."

"On our way, Coran." Closing the connection, Keith calls to his team. "Alright guys, we're gonna hafta cut this picnic short. Doom ships are approaching and they have a robeast with 'em. Let's get to the Lions!"

They run back to the castle, the remnants of the day's celebration left behind on the grass. Arriving in the control room, they race to the tunnels, launching in their Lions. They quickly intercept the cruisers but by the time they destroy the first one, the robeast has been deployed. The creature is blinding yellow and shaped like an oversized parrot. "Alright guys, let's do this!" Keith sounds confident, but this is the first monster he has had to face since he rejoined the force and everyone is a little nervous about how he will react.

Fortunately, his therapy has done its job and it's as if nothing had ever happened. Keith is the calm, cool, confident commander they all remember. "Hunk, you and Allura take out those cruisers then rejoin the rest of us. Pidge, Lance, you're with me. I think it's time we clipped birdie's wings!" At his order the Blue and Yellow Lions take off after the command ships, weapons blazing. The Red, Green, and Black Lions turn their attention to the robeast. "Proton Missiles!" Keith sends the projectiles hurtling into the monster's torso.

"Lion Torch!" The Red Lion sends a wave of fire blazing into the creature's wings, singing them a bit.

"Eye Beams!"

"Ion Darts!"

"Rotor Missiles"

"Hey is this invitation only or can anyone join the fun?" Allura sends a flood of water into the face of the monster, knocking it off balance.

"Alright guys, let's finish this off… Ready to form Voltron!"

"Activate Interlock!" Five sets of control handles are adjusted into position.

"Dynotherms Connected!" Five keys adjust configurations.

"Infracells Up!" Five displays light up in sequence.

"Megathrusters are Go!" Five instrument panels lift and lock into place.

"Let's Go Voltron Force!" Five voices chant in unison.

"Form Feet and Legs!" Blue and Yellow Lions reconfigure into the shapes of powerful legs and attach to the hind limbs of Black Lion.

"Form Arms and Body!" Black Lion's forelegs fold into his body. Red and Green lions convert into strong arms and attach to Black Lion's shoulder joints.

"And I'll Form the Head!" Black Lion's jaw opens to reveal the face of Voltron. Loud, throaty roars issue forth from the lions forming the hands and feet of the mighty robot. Turning to face the monster, Keith begins issuing a series of commands. "Spinning Laser Blades!" Two massive disks edged with razor sharp points form and are immediately thrown at the creature, severing both wings from the monster's body. A shrieking scream issues from the yellow beak followed by a sonic attack from the massive maw. "Electroforce Cross!" A bright beam streams forth from the crest on Voltron's chest. The robeast is stunned and unmoving. "OK, let's finish this off! FORM BLAZING SWORD!" Keith's voice bellows forth. The lion heads forming Voltron's hands touch in front of him and draw back to reveal the massive blade clutched in Red Lion's jaw. Pulling his right arm back, the mighty robot races to the dazed creature and with one commanding swing, cleaves the monster in two. Leaping back, the team watches in silence as the robeast bursts into a blazing ball of light. As they observe, a large piece of shrapnel flies from the wreckage and collides with a cloaked command ship. The vessel flickers into view before turning and leaving a trail of sparks as it flees the scene.

"Yeah!"

"Alright!"

"Way to go!"

As the team celebrates another victory, the princess opens a private communication link to the captain. "Keith? Are you OK?" She is concerned when he doesn't join the merriment that follows the explosion.

"Yeah, Princess, I'm fine. Just realized that could have been me not too long ago…"

"You really have to stop thinking that way. No more 'what ifs'. OK? There is enough 'what is' to deal with. No need to go adding problems that don't exist and won't exist." She smiles at him through the screen and he responds with a grin of his own.

"Yeah, you're right. It's just taking a while to come to terms with the six months that I didn't know who I was."

"I'm always here if you want to talk… about anything…"

"Thanks, Princess. I might just take ya up on that!" He winks at her, looking more like his old self and drawing a silly grin from her.

Switching channels, he address the whole team, "Hey, are we gonna let that ship get away? I think it's time I thanked Lotor for the hospitality he showed me recently. Who's with me?"

"Count me in, Skipper!"

"Me too, Chief!"

"You'll need someone with skill, charm, and luck. Count me in."

"Let's go, Keith!"

"Alright team, time for me to get some closure on my brief career in the Doom army… After that ship!"


	14. Peace at Last?

They follow the ship all the way back to Planet Doom. Just before entering the atmosphere, Voltron catches the vessel and destroys it with one powerful swing of the Blazing Sword.

"Hey Keith, as long as we're here, we might as well pay the castle a visit. Don't you think?"

"Lance, I think you might be right. I'd hate to be rude and not stop in to say 'hi' as long as we're in the neighborhood. After all they did take such good care of me during my stay recently."

The mighty robot races to Castle Doom, sword held in both hands high over his head. Reaching the structure, Voltron starts slashing at the turrets, slicing them neatly from the rest of the building. "Time for a remodel Zarkon, consider it my thank you gift for all your hospitality!"

"Keith, I think he needs new windows. Proton Missiles!"

As they watch, explosions rock the foundations of the castle and the remaining portions of the structure collapse. "Nice work Princess! Now I think it's time to head home."

Cheering erupts throughout the mighty robot as it takes to the sky and Planet Arus.

***

Back in the castle, they hold their post battle debriefing. "I think we did pretty well out there this afternoon. No injuries, no damage to the Lions and we may have finally defeated Doom. I'll take it!" The smile on Keith's face is reflected on the countenances of everyone else in the room.

"And we finally got the last piece of our captain back!" A loud cheer and round of applause erupts at Lance's joyous declaration.

"Alright guys, stop, you're embarrassing me…" Keith's face starts to turn red before Allura steps in and quiets them all down.

"Alright everyone, leave him alone. He's had a lot to deal with and we shouldn't be making it harder on him. Though it really is nice to finally have you completely back, Keith. The bigger question we should be asking is whether Zarkon, Lotor, and Hagar were in the castle and ship that we destroyed. Could we really have ended the threat for good?"

"Good question, Princess, good question!" The meeting ends without any further answers.

***

The next two months pass uneventfully with no sign of activity from Planet Doom. Sources aren't able to confirm anything for sure, but it looks like Voltron may have finally defeated the forces of evil. The people of Arus clamor for a celebration. The mighty robot stands before the castle in triumph with Coran standing beneath Voltron alone. The force is supposed to be there with him, addressing the crowds in victory. Turning toward the mice, Coran asks "Cheesy, do you know where they are?" The mice look at each other, squeaking back and forth before lying down in relaxed poses. "They're taking a nap in the country?"

***

A grassy meadow filled with colorful wildflowers stretches as far as the eye can see under a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. Keith's arms reach up to the sky as he stretches. Bringing his hands down, he puts them behind his head and closes his eyes. Hunk's snores are the only interruption to the quiet peacefulness that shrouds the field. Allura lies next to Keith, twirling a flower in her hand. She starts to giggle mischievously before turning on her side to face the napping captain. She softly brushes his face with the flower's petals. Slowly opening his dark eyes, he turns his head and smiles at her. Without caring that the rest of the team is right there, he rolls over so that they are face to face. Reaching out he catches the hand with the flower. He sighs as the smile fades from his face. "So Princess, now that we seem to have defeated Doom, we might get re-assigned…"

Her face clouds. "I wonder how that would affect me, after all I am the ruling princess here, but I'm part of the team as well… They won't try to take Voltron will they?"

"I promise, I won't let them split us up. If they want Voltron, the team has to stay intact and we all have to remain based here at the castle. No negotiations. No exceptions." She smiles at the determination in his tone. "Speaking of the future… There is something I've been wanting to discuss with you… That I've been meaning to discuss with you for a couple of months now… Since we got back from Doom actually…"

"Oh, and what would that be Keith?" There is a mischievous lilt to her voice and a sparkle in her eyes. Without speaking he takes her hand and kisses the back of it, much as he had on the day he arrived on her planet. Pulling her to him, he rolls backward so that she is lying on top of him. She lets out a small giggling shriek before smiling down at him and raising an eyebrow. "Captain?" He responds by reaching up, tangling his hand in her hair, and gently pulling her head down and kissing her.

Lance notices the activity and nudges Pidge. He puts a finger to his lips and points toward the captain and the princess locked in a passionate embrace.

Finally Keith ends the kiss and whispers to Allura "For being my hero and never giving up on me when it looked like I was lost."

"How could I give up on you? You made a promise to me on your last birthday and I plan to hold you to it." She bends down and kisses him again. He rolls once more bringing her under him without breaking the kiss. She brings her arms up, draping them around his neck, her hands resting gently between his shoulder blades. Lance and Pidge start cheering, bringing Keith and Allura back to their surroundings. Giggles can be heard coming from the embracing couple as Keith rests his forehead on Allura's.

"So Princess, are you willing to keep adventuring by my side?"

"You should know there's nowhere I'd rather be. Didn't I agree to that when I accepted those flowers from you?"

With a quick movement he bends down to kiss her nose before rolling off her. Once lying on the grass beside her, he reaches out and grasps her hand. Smiling, she rests her head on his shoulder before going back to playing with the flower.

"Hey Princess, where's my kiss?" Lance looks at her expectantly.

"Yeah and mine too" Pidge asks, trying to get in on the action.

Allura stands up and walks over to where they recline in the field. Bending down, she gives them each a peck on the cheek before going back to rest curled against Keith's side again. Smiling playfully, she runs the flower gently across his nose. Without opening his eyes, he grabs her hand and pulls her in for another kiss.

Waking up, Hunk looks over, uttering "Whoa… What did I miss?"

Lance laughs "Princess is giving out hero rewards."

Hunk smiles "Wow those rewards are getting better! Am I next?"

Lance snickers while Pidge answers "Well, I think the rewards are only better if your name is Keith. The rest of us get the same thing as before."

Keith and Allura have once again become lost in the moment and are completely unaware of the presence of the rest of the team. Eventually they stop kissing and just relax while lying in each other's arms. One by one the entire team falls asleep under the warm sunshine.

***

The sun is beginning to drop below the horizon when Coran finally finds the team. Seeing them all asleep in the grass, he takes special notice of the two that are curled up together in an embrace. Keith lies with one arm under his head, his other arm wrapped protectively around the princess. When Coran clears his throat, they all start to wake and stretch.

Hunk looks around noticing how late it has gotten. "Wow is it dusk already? Sleeping sure made me hungry! I hope dinner's just about ready."

Laughing, everyone starts to stand up and brush the dirt from their clothing. "Guess we should start heading back. Princess?" Keith offers his hand to Allura. Reaching up she clasps it and smiling allows him to help her up. He keeps hold of her hand as they all start walking back to the castle.

Lance notices that Coran is watching Keith's behavior towards the princess. "C'mon Coran, you know he'll treat her better than any stuffy prince."

Coran nods "That is not the point, Lance."

"Then what is? You know him. We all trust him. He has no ulterior motives. He's not after the throne and he already has all the access to Voltron that he needs."

"But what would the people think?"

"Probably that it's nice to see the princess so happy with someone who dotes on her every whim."

"Well, what if the team is reassigned?"

"He's already thought about that and is willing to take a stand against Galaxy Garrison if it comes down to it. The princess gets to remain a part of the team and we continue to be based here. If they don't agree, then no deal. After all she does technically own Voltron, so if she's not happy with the situation, the Alliance loses access to him." Lance shrugs.

"But it's not appropriate, Lance."

"Why? Because of something outside his control? Who really cares about his parentage? Shouldn't his personality and actions mean more? She loves him for who he is, not who his parents are."

Coran looks at Lance and sighs. "She does always seem happier in his company."

"And don't forget how she reacts whenever he gets injured. Or how he reacted when she almost died. She always tries to sacrifice herself for the safety of everyone else and he always puts his life on the line to drag her back. I won't even mention the flowers he brought her on his last birthday or her behavior when he was missing…"

"Maybe you're right."

"Of course I am. Forget the politics for a minute and listen to your heart. They belong together."

They both look towards the castle and see the princess giggling like a little girl as Keith twirls her around, a bright smile on his face. Coran nods and they turn to follow the others back to the castle.

"Thank you, Lance. I had forgotten about the flowers. That does change everything…"


	15. The End or Just the Beginning?

"So Keith, I think we should talk about the promise you made with those flowers…" Allura's head is in his lap, as she lies stretched out on the couch a few days later. He runs his fingers through her hair as he looks down into her eyes lovingly.

"Alright… What would you like to discuss about it?"

"Well… do you still mean it?" She looks up at him with concern and uncertainty in her eyes.

He sits up straighter, pulling his feet down from the coffee table they had been resting on. Allura sits up at his movement and searches his face. Reaching out he takes both her hands in his as he turns to sit facing her. "I've never meant anything more. Don't doubt that for a minute, Allura. To be honest, I was worried that you might have changed your mind while I was gone…" He gives her a rueful half smile as he gazes into her eyes.

"Keith, why would you ever think that?"

"Ummm, Prince Rhiald?"

"He never meant anything to me. I never even officially agreed to marry him. Nanny and Coran made some assumptions. And well for that matter, so did he… But I never doubted that you would come back to me. Ever!"

"OK. Then since I've already done this the Arusian way, I think this time I should try this the Terran way…" He slides off the couch and slowly drops to one knee before her. "The first day I met you; I knelt before you and swore the loyalty and protection of my team to you and your people. Today, I speak only for myself. You've become the center of my universe; everything I do has been with the intention of keeping you safe and happy. I feel for you in a way that I never thought I could feel for anyone. I'd give my life for you. I love you, Allura. I am only happy when you're smiling. So, if you will let me, I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you at my side so I can do everything in my power to keep you smiling." Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small black velvet box. Opening it, he presents it to her. "Allura, will you marry me?"

Tears are streaming from her eyes as she looks at the ring nestled into the box. Her eyes glide up to see the hopeful expression on his face. "Of course I will, Keith. It's always been you…" Slipping from the couch, she melts into his embrace, hugging him tightly. "I love you, Keith." Her words are whispered softly against his neck.

***

"Well he's no prince, but he is honorable and I have come to realize that he is the best choice for you, Princess." Turning to Keith, Nanny says, "And you know what will happen to you if you hurt my baby!"

"I have no intention of hurting her. I've always tried to protect her, with my life if that's what it takes."

"Come, Princess, we have a wedding to plan! There is so much to do!"

"Relax Nanny, I have faith in you. I'm sure everything will go smoothly."

"First we must make the official announcement and present you to the people of Arus as her suitor. The royal tailor will make you a proper suit to wear for the presentation."

Keith shakes his head as he resigns himself to the forthcoming pomp and circumstance that will come with marrying a princess.

***

The castle is surrounded by throngs of citizens. There is supposed to be a major announcement coming from the royal house today.

"What do you think the news is?"

"Will the Voltron force make an appearance?"

"What could it be?"

"I hope it's good news."

"Do you think they will get started soon?"

Trumpets blare, silencing the Arusians milling about. Coran makes his way out to the front of the balcony and waits for a moment before speaking. "Greetings citizens. I know you are all wondering why we have called you here today. Princess Allura has some news that she would like to share with all of you." Turning back toward the castle, he bows as the princess makes her way to the railing.

"Thank you all for coming out here. I have a wonderful announcement to make today. As I am sure you all know, there have been a number of balls held with the intention of helping me choose a suitor to wed. It is my pleasure to tell you all that I have made my decision and accepted a proposal of marriage."

There is a deafening cheer from the crowds around the castle.

"Who do you think it could be?"

"Do you think it's that Prince she was supposed to marry a few months ago?"

"Ohh this is so exciting…"

Allura waits for the masses to settle down a little bit before continuing. "I would like to introduce you all to the man that I have selected to become my husband and Prince Consort. You already know him as the Captain of the Voltron Force. C'mon out here, Keith." She turns back towards the castle and extends her hand.

At her signal, Keith slowly steps forward, dressed in a dark suit with a crisp white shirt underneath. As he raises a hand to wave, the crowd erupts in cheers. "I think they approve of you, Keith."

***

"And that's how your parents got engaged… twice... Now it's past time for you to be asleep before your dad gets angry with me for keeping you up so late."

"Awww, c'mon Unca Lance, tells us anover story. We wanna know bout what happened next."

"Yeah, was that weally about Mommy and Daddy? Was he weally a wobeast monster?"

"I'll tell you another story tomorrow. It's getting late boys, time to sleep. G'night Skylar. G'night Kai."

Two little boys, who appear to be about three years old, run over and jump into Lance's lap. Their heads are covered with thick, black, unruly hair. Grabbing them one at a time, he tosses them gently into their beds as they giggle and shriek.

A quiet knock on the door causes them to freeze and look at each other, their big, dark eyes open wide. The door slides open and Keith walks in holding a baby swaddled in pink blankets. "Hey guys, you sleeping yet?" he whispers before looking up and taking in the scene before him. "Heh, guess not." He chuckles and raises an eyebrow at Lance who shrugs in response.

"DADDY!"

"Shhh, you'll wake your new little sister. Wanna meet her?"

The boys jump out of their beds and run to their father who kneels down with the baby. "Her name's Brecka."

"Alright you two, back into bed. I'm sure your dad didn't bring her in here to keep you up all night." Lance tries to shoo the boys back to their beds.

"Aww Unca Lance, we wanna play wif the baby."

"C'mon boys – you heard your uncle. Sleep now. You have a lifetime to play with her."

Once the boys are settled, Keith and Lance leave the room. "Hey there Brecka, wanna come to your Uncle Lance?" He takes the baby from Keith's arms and smiles down at her. Looking at her father, he asks "How's Allura doing?"

"Sleeping, but fine. I didn't mean to get the boys all worked up, just thought they'd like to see her and figured you'd have let them stretch bedtime a bit tonight anyway."

"Heh, they were worked up already – I told them the story of Robeast- Keith and how their parents got engaged again. It seems to be one of their favorites even if they never seem to believe me that it's true."

Keith laughs. "Gonna bring this little one back to the nursery and check on her mom again before I call it a night. Thanks for taking care of the boys."

"My pleasure" He kisses the baby "G'night little princess" and hands her back to Keith. "Say good night to the Queen for me. And congrats to you both… Again…"

***

Allura lies quietly in a hospital bed. Her eyes are closed and her breathing steady. Keith leans against the door frame and tries to figure out if she's sleeping or not. He mentally debates entering the room and risking waking her. It's been a long day and she needs her rest. Maybe he should just come back later.

Before he can move, Allura opens her eyes and smiles at him. "Hi there."

Keith grins back at her as he walks over to her bedside. Leaning over, he kisses her forehead gently before sitting down in the chair by the bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired and sore, just like I was after the boys. Speaking of the boys…"

"They're in bed now. Uncle Lance let them take advantage during story time again, so they were just wrapping up when I got here. Though, tonight I was glad that Lance is such a pushover at bedtime so that they boys could meet their sister. The little princess is gonna have her Uncle Lance wrapped around her finger by… Oh who am I kidding, I practically had to pry her out of his arms in the hallway outside the boys' room. One look in her big blue eyes and he was a goner…"

Allura giggles, "I could say the same about her daddy…" She gives Keith a wicked grin.

"Hey, can you blame me? The same thing happened the first time I looked into her mom's big blue eyes too." He leans over and kisses her gently. "I'm pretty sure we've already established that I have a weakness for princesses with big, sparkling, blue eyes."

A soft blush brightens her cheeks. "So where is she now?"

"Well after I wrestled her away from Lance, I took her to see Pidge, Hunk, and Coran in Castle Control. Then we took a walk and found Sven and Romelle. After that we found Nanny who took her back to the nursery while I came here to check in on you."

"Oh…"

Recognizing the sound of disappointment in her voice, Keith smiles down at his wife. "Want me to go get her for you?"

Nodding, she whispers, "Please?"

He chuckles and bends down to give her another quick kiss. "I'll be right back." He slips out the door and arrives back a few minutes later with a small pink bundle.

"Hey Brecka, wanna snuggle with your mommy for a bit?" He kisses the top of the baby's head before placing her gently into Allura's waiting arms.

"She got her daddy's hair, just like her brothers." She smiles warmly as she caresses the dark mop on her daughter's head.

"Yeah I probably owe them all an apology for passing on those genes…" He runs his hand through his own hair chuckling softly.

"Oh, I dunno. I think it suits you… and them… But we might want to rethink the amount of time they spend with their Uncle Lance once they start showing an interest in girls. Between their dad's looks and their uncle's way with women… We could be in trouble!"

"Hey I spent a good part of my teen years around Lance when we were in the Academy and I think I turned out OK, didn't I? Besides, she's the one I'm more worried about…" He smiles down at his sleeping daughter.

"But if her uncles are half as protective of her as they are of her mommy, then no one will ever be able to get near her."

"Hey, what about her daddy? I seem to remember him mounting a few rescue missions to save her mommy. I bet he could protect her too y'know…"

Allura smiles up at her husband's expression. "I thought that went without saying. After all, who's gonna try to go after the princess when her daddy flies the Black Lion. You're going to have all her potential boyfriends quaking in their boots." She snickers softly.

Keith rubs the toe of his own boot into the floor. "Yeah well…"

They both look up at a sound from the doorway and see Hunk enter the room with two little boys. The children appear to be about three years old and are the spitting image of Voltron's captain. One boy sits on each of Hunk's shoulders.

"And just what are you two doing up and out of bed? Didn't Uncle Lance and I just tuck you both in?"

"I think they were excited about their new sister. I was walkin' down the hallway and when I was passin' their room I heard giggling. I went to check it out since I knew they were supposed to be sleeping. I found them conspiring together… I think they were planning a jail break, so I figured I'd just bring 'em over myself. Then when you finish with 'em, I'll tie 'em to their beds." Hunk laughs and the boys giggle in response.

Keith stands up and takes one of the boys down from Hunk's shoulders. Hunk sets the other boy down on the floor gently.

"MOMMY!" They shout and race over to the bed.

"Skylar! Kai! Don't you dare jump on that bed! You might hurt Mommy or Brecka. You don't wanna do that do you? They're both tired right now. It's hard work being born ya know. So how about you two calm down a bit, OK?"

Pulling up another chair, Hunk sits down and pats his legs. "Who wants to sit in my lap?"

Both boys race over and jump into his lap squealing with delight.

Keith shakes his head. "No one is going to get any sleep tonight are they?" He eyes the boys and pretends to be menacing, but the gleam in his eye and upward twist to his lips give him away. "OK you scamps, Mommy and Brecka need to sleep and so do you. Let's go…" He bends down so both boys can wrap their arms around his neck as he slips his forearms under their backsides, lifting them into his arms effortlessly. He stands and starts walking to the door. He turns back to face Allura again. "I'll be back once I can get them settled again."

Hunk stands and looks at the boys in Keith's arms. "I'll get the rope and meet you there."

The children squeal in delight again as their father turns around and carries them through the doorway.

"Want me to take the princess to the nursery for you?"

"Thanks, Hunk. If I learned anything when the boys were born, it's that I'd better get some rest now, while I can…"

"At least there's only one of her… And you know you have plenty of help with all three of them. Keith and I can take care of the boys tonight." He winks at her and then leans down to take the baby from her arms. "Come to Uncle Hunk, Princess." Cradling her to his broad chest, he waves to Allura and then leaves the room.

About half an hour later, Keith finds himself leaning against the door frame trying to determine if his wife is asleep or not. He stands quietly watching her while he decides if he should risk entering the room or not…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up making the boys twins because I couldn't figure out which one to make older (and yes I know I still need to figure that out, but I bought myself a little time). Skylar is named for my charcoal grey cat who looks rather like a lion, Kai is named for a character in a book who is sort of Keith like and was my first literary crush (Keith of course is my first/only cartoon crush). I have some other ideas and some scenes that I cut from this story, so I may come back and expand this into a series at some point.


End file.
